Quality of life – a shared responsibility Published June 2, 2008 By Col. Rich Anderson 305th Operations Group deputy commander MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- Team McGuire is committed to mission excellence, developing Airmen and preserving resources. None of these tenets can be realized without maintaining a standard of excellence in our work facilities and billets. Most of you have been exposed to media referencing problems with living conditions at Walter Reid last year and Fort Bragg in April. Subsequently, our senior leadership reminded us that similar instances of neglect are not acceptable and would not be tolerated at our installation. I'm confident this is not a problem at McGuire and here's why. Your leadership team gets it. We want top-notch environments in which to work, live and play. We continually solicit resources to keep facilities in top condition through maintenance, renovation and new construction. Just look around at all the new projects: Housing, business and industrial sites on the base are consistently receiving face lifts. Additionally, there are multiple future projects being worked behind the scenes. It's to our advantage at McGuire that the wing commander is also the installation commander. He is responsible for both mission execution and quality of life and recognizes the synergistic relationship between them. All services are not necessarily organized in this manner, leaving the potential for competition over limited resources. Our three tenets demand that we keep our Airmen happy and content. They perform better, pursue their aspirations with vigor and are more likely to stay in the Air Force. So, we constantly look to maintain our environments to the utmost standards. Of course, we can't see everything. But that's not a problem. Airmen are independent and innovative thinkers. From airman basic through our flag officers, we are trained to speak up when necessary. It's part of our culture. We are not shy. Our crustiest lieutenant colonel aviators expect a timely tap on the shoulder and an explanation when the mission is falling apart. Most of the time, this information comes from a youngster on the flightline or in the command post. Whether the jet's broken, the cargo load is messed up, a crewmember forgot their passport or our tanker cancelled, the bad news more often than not comes from an Airman. They know how to pass information, both good and bad. They speak up. They are heard. We work together to fix problems. We succeed. This frame of mind applies to maintaining our facilities too. No leader should be angry with the bearer of bad news regarding an unacceptable living condition or other deficiency. Leadership cannot address quality of life issues unless they are aware of it. We need your help and that's where we share the responsibility. We trust that you will speak up to make things right. Your leadership team is ready to take on these challenges and you should engage them before looking to more dramatic attempts to resolve problems. The chain of command is there to fix things that are broken. Let it work for you.