Four pillars of Air Force success

  • Published
  • By Maj. John T. Knack
  • 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  When you walk into the two-story atrium of Bldg. 31, the home of the 60th and 349th Maintenance Groups, you will not likely notice the strong foundation in place but it is there, solidly supporting the building.

You may not even notice the huge red pillars first. These 40-foot high columns anchor the four corners of the atrium and hold up the metal and glass roof soaring overhead.

You will likely notice the aircraft and the awards. Large model aircraft symbolize the daily efforts of more than 2,000 Air Force active duty, Reserve, civilian and contract maintenance professionals who keep our C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster and KC-10 Extender aircraft ready to fly every day. Anchored to the pillars, these aircraft would not be in the air otherwise.

Next, above these aircraft, you will see 24 large plaques encircling the atrium, 30 feet off the floor. They memorialize the recent accomplishments of our maintainers, including earning the 2003 Air Mobility Command Maintenance Daedalian Trophy, the 2004 Air Force Daedalian Maintenance Trophy, numerous awards at the 2007 Air Mobility Command Rodeo competition and an "Outstanding" rating on the 60th Air Mobility Wing's 2007 Operational Readiness Inspection. However, our proud Airmen could not have won these awards without the right preparation.

Just as the strong floor makes it possible to build an impressive, stable structure, our Air Force core values of Integrity, Service and Excellence give us a shared foundation and common standards to serve our nation proudly as Airmen, in any specialty or duty. The pillars stretch from the foundation and the stone floor, translating the strength of the foundation to hold up the building. Likewise, the words written in white on the red pillars capture the tenets of maintenance. Safety, Training, Technical Data and Attitude are the specific attributes that ensure maintainers - or professionals in any career field - translate the core values into everyday success.

Whenever I have the privilege of addressing the graduates of Maintenance Qualification Training Program courses in the atrium, I always direct these new Airmen to look at the pillars as I speak to each of these tenets in turn. While I personalize these "pillars" to maintenance responsibilities in particular, you could easily apply these concepts in any career field.

First, any task must be performed safely, lest we risk personal injury or death, or damage to aircraft or equipment. Safety must always come first.

Second, all Airmen must have the proper training to ensure they can consistently do the job right. We all must consistently strive to improve our training and education to make ourselves more effective service members.

Third, professionals always do the job "by the book," in accordance with all applicable laws, directives, publications and local policies. Professionals never take shortcuts because they know the job must be done safely and correctly the first time. Finally, the best Airmen are those with the best attitudes. They have "can do," team-oriented, professional attitudes.

The Air Force core values are the underpinnings of all Airmen's professional service. The "pillars" of safety, training, technical data and attitude apply to every specialty and they ensure success for the Travis Team and the Air Force. We could not keep our aircraft safely in the air without them.