It's time to own up

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Joe Martin
  • 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander
Maybe it’s just me, but recently the phrase “own up” has been coming up a lot in my life. Many times it has been in relation to a mistake I made, or – in my case as a supervisor and a commander – a mistake I directed someone else to make.

Regardless, it’s time for each of us to “own up.”

Case 1: My wife and I have been married for over 14 years and our fifth daughter may be born before this article is published. (…and yes, we do know what causes this!) Hence, as a father of 12, 10, 8 and 2 year old girls I get the chance periodically to notice when things around the house are amiss.

For example, just yesterday I asked “who left the orange peel on the counter?” Well, even the least astute detective in the world knows that all you have to do is look to see who is eating an orange, and there is your culprit. So when I asked, the culprit (my 12 year old) immediately owned up and promised to clean it up.

See, if it’s easy to get caught, it’s also easy to “own up.” But minutes later when I asked who left the door open, the blank “not me” stares were everywhere.

When I asked a second time from the other room, there was still no response except for the pitter-patter of little feet sneaking across the room to shut it when I wasn’t looking. See, sometimes people need a second chance to “own up.”

Case 2: A couple weeks ago the members of my squadron embarked on a “demolition day” in which we tore down some unused offices inside two warehouses.

This was an absolute blast! Unfortunately and despite my best intentions, we had apparently not completed the proper coordination and the 65th Communications Squadron had not had a chance to remove some of their gear. Well, I “assumed” they had and that this stuff was trash…so that is exactly where it ended up.

Imagine my surprise to see two very angry looking Comm guys trying to figure out what happened to their accountable equipment items. It was time to “own up.”

Let the chips fall where they may, I did it … honestly, I was the person who tore it off the wall. See, the other thing is “unlike wine, bad news does not get better with age.”

Case 3 and 4: As a commander, I am charged with upholding the standards the Air Force has established for dress and appearance.

I recently had separate discussions with both an officer and an enlisted member in which that person’s weight came up. When asked by the officer what I thought of how she/he looked in uniform, I knew it was time to “own up” again.

She/he did not look good … why? Probably because God created everyone differently, and some people just have to work harder to look sharp — but everyone can do it.

When the same discussion came up with the enlisted person, I simply told them that regardless of their passing PT score, they will never walk across a stage and proudly represent their squadron so long as their physique looks the way it does.

You want the people in the audience to notice the award you won, not the stress on your seams or buttons! When I spoke to each of them, I learned that sometimes “owning up” is uncomfortable.

So “own up!” Not once in a while, not just when people are looking, not when it’s easy and comfortable. “Own up” every time!