Show what it means to serve in the military

Maj. Jeremy Novak

There are two things, I cannot ever stress enough to Airmen: “Take care of yourself and others.”

The 27th Fighter Wing is full of examples at both ends of the extreme with regards to members taking care of their careers and taking care of their fellow Airmen. Most Airmen are stellar performers on and off the job, but there are some who have no self control.

Team Cannon has won numerous Air Force-level awards, Below-the-Zone promotions and choice assignments to great locations. These awards aren’t gifts from above. They come from continuous hard work, foresight, perfect planning and building an impeccable record.

Young Airmen may need occasional prodding and grooming, but NCOs and senior NCOs should know what they must do for their Airmen and themselves to get promoted and for career progression. Those same enlisted leaders need to be willing to help those less experienced.

However, some supervisors fall short on properly mentoring and preparing motivated subordinates for recognition and successful careers in the Air Force.

There are also examples of wing members stuck with undesirable remote assignments, or miss promotions by a few points.

In most cases, these Airmen are missing decorations, deployments or assignment history information in their permanent records. Ensuring records are up to date is critical. Not only can inaccurate records hurt a career, they can affect benefits and retirement pay. Now that records are online, there are no excuses for Airmen to not check their files.

This wing also has an excellent track record of taking care of others. Volunteers were quick to mobilize to assist civilians and fellow Airmen following the recent tornado.

The wing always helps the less fortunate in the community through donations. We also help fellow Airmen and their families with world-class pre-deployment, post-deployment and Key Spouse programs.

I urge you to continue showing the civilian sector what it really means to be part of the military family, and always remember to take care of yourself and your fellow Airmen.