Phrase holds many meanings

  • Published
  • By Col. Steve Arquiette
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It's exciting to know that our Airman Leadership School graduated the next group of NCO leaders this week. The demanding five-week Professional Military Education curriculum provided many valuable tools necessary for our front-line supervisors to lead and succeed in today's dynamic expeditionary Air Force. 

As military professionals serving in our armed forces, continuing our education and honing our leadership and technical skills is absolutely essential to our development in the profession of arms. 

Mention the phrase "profession of arms" and most of us no doubt think of war fighting. That's pretty straightforward. After all, strategy, tactics and doctrine are important to the war fighter. However, as Airmen, the connection between what we do on a daily basis and war fighting may become vague. It's easier to make the connection when you experience it first hand, as many of us who have deployed certainly can attest to. 

However, the phrase has another dimension, one we can all relate to, regardless of deploying. In fact, it implies an understanding and appreciation of the Air Force as a profession with a distinctive culture. This includes topics we learned when we joined the Air Force. Whether at basic training or at Reserve Officer Training Corps, Officer Training School, or the Academy - they shape your understanding and appreciation of the Air Force as a profession and form the foundation of knowledge you build on during your Air Force career. 

You know them as core values, discipline, morals and ethics, dress and grooming, the oath of enlistment you took when you entered the Air Force, the drill and ceremonies and the customs and courtesies you learned from day one, and even the accountability and responsibility you accepted when you repeated the oath of enlistment. 

Broadly speaking, I'm referring to the professional standards, military justice, personal discipline, customs and courtesies, and ethics that we accept when we join the Air Force. That's quite a lot to learn, but we do it. 

The formal schools certainly help. So does the informal education we receive from mentors who share and reinforce the conduct and ideals of the group. We, in turn, become teachers and share this knowledge with others. This makes for a rich culture, an Airmen culture, and the young Airmen today will, in turn, share it with future Airmen.
It's almost a sacred trust, so it's important we get it right. Of course, some Airmen never grasp this profound truth and they eventually leave or they're administratively put out. 

Each week I sign a variety of discharges for members who fall short of maintaining our high standards. Team Travis maintains very high standards; they're not unrealistically high, but they're very high. Meeting and exceeding those standards sets us apart from the rest of the pack. 

These ideals are basic, and while I've said them before they bear repeating, least we forget: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. They are at the heart and soul of our culture as Airmen. We learn them at school, and we continue to learn them as we practice and share them with others who accept them just as we do. 

The benefits are often intangible: Helping a wingman accomplish the mission, going beyond what you thought were your own personal limitations, and the sense of pride from contributing to the War on Terror. 

As Airmen, we learn the profession of arms. As Airmen, we practice it and in so doing contribute to the greater mission that we are part of. I can think of no greater legacy than that.