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Mission, Wingmen, Self

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Chuck Henderson
  • 305th Operations Group
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  By now you've all been introduced to the new Air Force motto, "Aim High ... Fly, Fight, Win!" According to our Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, "A motto ... must be bigger than any single person, something that gives voice to the pride of service of all who've worn this nation's Air Force uniform - past, present and future," and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy says, "This motto ... gives our service a new and lasting tradition for voicing our pride."

It is not just another clever recruiting slogan, such as "No One Comes Close," "Above All," "An Army of One," "Army Strong," "The Few, the Proud, the Marines." Rest assured, more will come and go during your career. "Aim High" indeed has its roots in being a slogan at one time, and in his September 2008 CSAF Vector, General Schwartz characterized "Fly, Fight and Win" as an enduring responsibility of the Air Force. Unlike any former, singular slogan, this motto is meant to stand the test of time. In that regard, it is more akin to "Semper Fi."

What about beyond the motto? There are still other service-identifying behaviors that make them unique. For the Marines, it's "Hoo-Rah!" For the Army, it's "Hooah!" What is it for the Air Force? I think it's unfortunate that in our search for identity in this expeditionary environment, we seem to have defaulted to the same response as our Army brethren. Hooah is not ours ... it's theirs. While serving in Iraq, I was struck by the irony that the Ugandan guards seemed to understand better than we, the Air Force, should have, and needs its own identifying call. It was refreshing to have them brand us with "Air Power!" or "Guvia Chu!" and "Ma Pambano!" In our effort to prove to the Army we are willing and capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them in combat, have we forgotten that great leaders and men fought for, and won, our individuality on Sept. 18, 1947?

Though not a motto, our Navy brothers and sisters have a saying: "Ship, Shipmate, Self." How would this attitude translate to our Air Force culture? First, we have to understand what the Air Force equivalents are of a ship and shipmate. I propose our ship is the Mission and our shipmates are Wingmen. In Air Force vernacular, therefore, we would say "Mission, Wingmen, Self."

For 53 years now, the Air Force has proven the mission comes first and we will support it, without fail, in order to defeat our enemy and protect the freedoms this great Nation enjoys. Mission, Wingmen, Self shows our enduring commitment to the mission of our Nation's defense and boasts of our "Mission First" attitude. However, not only do we put the mission before ourselves, we also put our colleagues before ourselves. You might think putting yourself last is contrary to the environment in our service today where we're becoming more and more aware of the stresses that nine years of war can have on the psyche.

However, where my understanding of Wingmen differs from the widely accepted definition is that, like a shipmate, anyone and everyone in the Air Force is your Wingman, and you, theirs! Since former CSAF Gen. Jumper decreed in 2004 Airman would be spelled with a capital "A," we have understood there is a common bond that unites all Airmen: Enlisted and Officer whether Active, Reserve or retired. However, you don't often hear people greeting one another as Airmen due to the connotation with the rank of the same name. Now is the time to capitalize on the Wingman culture we have instilled in our ranks.

Just as a petty officer may greet a lieutenant commander with the word "Shipmate" while rendering a salute, I believe the term "wingman" should be an Airman's version of this endearing greeting. Contrary to the current belief, a wingman is one person looking out for another. This view helps promote an attitude that every Airman is a Wingman to every other Airman. Wingmen are not just co-rank, co-enlisted or co-officers, rather every person of every rank from airman basic to the chief himself are Wingmen to each other.

So I say to you proudly, "Wingman, Aim High!" and I know my ears will be ringing with a resounding "FLY, FIGHT, WIN!!"