Why I Serve

I thought I would take this chance on the Fourth of July to jot down some thoughts on why I serve in the Air Force. Believe it or not it's something I think about fairly often. Whether it's to help get through a tough time at work, or work up the motivation for a deployment that I'm not particularly fond of, reminding myself of some key points always puts the situation into perspective. Gen McArthur summed up the reasons for service well with three words, "Duty, honor, country." To him that was it. We serve because it is our duty. We serve, because it is the honorable thing to do. We serve for our country. My reasons are not as poetic or concise as those, but they are very similar.

I serve for my family. We've had to make several sacrifices already for this service, and many more will be asked of us if I continue to pursue this as a career. However, I firmly believe that the sacrifices (investments) today will pay huge dividends for my family tomorrow in terms of a better life, a better country, and a better world. This is my contribution to the future. I serve today so that, hopefully, others will not have to tomorrow.

While history will tell if the current conflicts that we are engaged in were smart decisions, I'm glad that we have the institution of the military capable of accomplishing these missions. Living a life that affords me basic freedoms - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - fills me with a debt of gratitude. It's my hope that my service will help pay that debt while honoring those who have come before me and given so much for so many.

It has been 232 years since we declared our independence. We are still a young country, but we have achieved much! Many times we in the military have been called by our civilian leadership to protect our way of life. For the past 35 years that call has been answered exclusively by volunteers who believe in three simple tenets: Duty, Honor, Country.