Thanks for the great ideas last week.  We’ll be standing up the new non-profit FATASS (Friends Against The Ankle Syndrome Society) within the next few weeks and we hope to go international with IFATASS by the end of the year.  I’m also exploring the option of partnering with the women’s organization WWHA (Women With Hairy Ankles) which is the opposite of our problem.  More to follow.

Over the years I’ve been asked a lot of hard questions, but last month I was asked one that really got me thinking.

It was a Friday night before a UTA and, as most of you know, things tend to get, shall I say, hectic.  So when a good friend’s wife put together a retirement party for him, I knew I had to find a way to squeeze it into my schedule.  As it ended up, I had to go right from the base to the party, dirty flight suit and all.  Bill was actually happy I came in uniform and I had a great chance to meet his brothers and talk military. I grabbed some food and fell into a lawn chair in the front yard with some friends and family as the sun slid behind the trees and the mosquitoes started their nightly patrol for victims.

Anton was sitting next to me and after a few minutes of small talk, he turned to me and just matter of factly asked me “So what do you do all day?”.  “You know what I do don’t you?” I answered.  “Do you just fly every day?”  “Well, no, I only fly once, maybe twice a week.”  “So what do you do all day?”  So there’s the question, What do you do?

When I first started this journey it was pretty clear what it was that made this career fulfilling, challenging and enjoyable.  Flying.  Everything was about flying and doing whatever other crap had to be done to keep flying.  It’s what gave the job meaning, it’s what made the job, not a job, but a joy.  And when the question was asked, the answer was simple.

Somewhere the answer slowly began to change.  You take on more responsibility, more rank, more jobs and slowly, insidiously you find yourself, well, different.  Days are filled with  meetings, email, taskers, counseling, mentoring, planning, arguing and countless other “ings”.  The only saving grace is that I’ve managed to keep flying for 33 of my 34 years.  I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll keep saying it.  When we lose sight of the Air Force core values and mission, and leadership takes on a coat and tie “corporate” posture, we risk losing sight of the goal and taking on the attributes of the civilians we work for.  I’ve always felt that we in the military have a responsibility to hold ourselves to a higher moral and ethical standard. And, sadly, the active duty “system” moves future leaders away from our core competencies as soon as possible.

Enough pontificating.  I had trouble answering Anton but in the end, I remember saying that 90% of my time was spent with ”people”.  Those “ings” are important.  Whether it’s mentoring, counseling, encouraging, or just talking, it’s all time well spent.  Our people really are our greatest asset.

Most importantly, the question will eventually be asked of all of us not “What do you do?”  But, “What did you do?”  What will your legacy be?  Will you be able to honestly say that you gave the taxpayers their money’s worth?  How will you be remembered?