Chapter 12

Jeff walked into my office, pulled up a chair, sat down, and said “I just stopped by to say goodbye”.  It was 20 January 1993, 0935.  It was sunny and cold.

Jeff was the squadron commander and he was everything a squadron commander should be. He was fair, consistent, even tempered, and compassionate yet firm.  He had flown Hercs, well, forever.  He was one of the last Viet Nam era guys and he brought that experience and those hard learned lessons to everything he did.

At first I thought he was headed out on a trip so I asked him where he was going and how long he’d be gone, but he just calmly said that he was retiring today and needed to out-process by noon.  I was gobsmacked (I love that word).  I asked if the family was alright, if he had a job transfer, if there was anything I could do.  He just shook his head and said everything was fine.  He just couldn’t continue to serve.  So I pressed him and he quietly and passionately told me why.

“You know I served in Viet Nam, those were really tough times.  I lost friends, but we did the job that was asked of us.  And when we came home, we came home to people that spit on us.  It was frustrating, but we moved on and we live our lives and try to honor those that didn’t make it.”  At this point his tone began to change.  I wouldn’t call it anger, he was firm and resolute.  “I lost too many friends and I believe too much in America to serve under a draft dodger who despises the military.  I’ll be retired before he takes the oath of office this afternoon”   And that was that.  No more discussion. Decision made.

We talk about integrity as a core value in the Air Force, but what does that really mean and how does that affect the way we live our lives and make important decisions.  I see lip service, I see politics soaking through the fabric of the military and staining the centuries old call to selfless duty.  We’re not perfect people but we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard than those we serve.  We can’t hide behind regulations, they’re no substitution for integrity and sound judgment.  We have to do the right thing not the politically correct thing.

Jeff was perfectly positioned to make O-6.  He would have been a great Vice Wing Commander, but if he couldn’t look himself in the mirror in the morning then it isn’t worth it.  He couldn’t compromise his values.

“The day we see the truth and cease to act is the day we begin to die” – Martin Luther King