Character is foundation of Air Force service

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Philip V. Westerfield
  • 701st Munitions Support Squadron
KLEINE BROGEL AIR BASE, Belgium (USAFENS) --  All of us who comprise this great Air Force team came to its ranks as individuals. The makeup of basic training, Reserve Officer Training Corps or the Air Force Academy classes are likely a small microcosm of America with representatives from all races, economic classes and regions of our great country.

As individuals, we brought with us a set of values, which had been developed through the early years of life, and was largely based upon our socio-economic background, environment, experiences and family values.

Immediately upon arrival and throughout the first few months of training, we were indoctrinated to military culture and Air Force institutional values. One of the most defining aspects of this indoctrination involved the expectation that the Air Force places on high moral character.

Terms such as duty, honor, country -- and our current Air Force core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do -- served as the foundation of our indoctrination and should serve as testaments to the importance our Air Force has placed on high moral character.

Character isn’t easily defined as it encompasses so many qualities. For the ancient Greeks, character and ethics were interchangeable. For Aristotle, ethics was the study of excellence or the virtues of character. It has come to mean the study and practice of the kind of life people ought to live.

Character is, for me, simply defined by the way a person lives their life while on and off duty. Do they have moral fitness and self-discipline? Can the individual be trusted? Do they break the rules? Are they honest and truthful? We have all been exposed to people with high moral character and can easily recognize someone who doesn’t have the same conviction and moral fiber.

Character creates trust. Most critically it communicates consistency and respect. A person of high moral character can be counted upon to perform because they are consistent in their approach to life’s many challenges. If a person’s values are known and consistent, it is easy to understand how and why they will perform in any given situation.

A person of high moral character also communicates respect. They do this by making sound decisions, admitting when they’ve made a mistake, and placing the mission of the unit and its members ahead of their own personal goals and aspirations.

As a member of the Armed Forces you are trusted to be a good steward of our Air Force’s values and represent our nation’s leadership in the world.

Your actions on and off duty define your character. Individuals of poor character will eventually tarnish the good order and discipline of your unit and tarnish our Air Force in the eyes of our nation and the rest of the world.

Supervisors, NCOs and commanders have a responsibility to enforce high character expectations within their unit if we are going to continue to excel as an institution.

It is everyone’s responsibility to conduct their professional and personal lives in a manner that embraces the importance the Air Force places on this critical aspect of our culture. We have a responsibility to our unit, the U.S. Air Force, and our nation to conduct ourselves in an honorable manner.

The military requires trust, sacrifice and respect within the ranks. There are similar bonds between the military and the nation it represents. Be a good steward of that trust. It all starts with a solid foundation of high moral character.