Take care of each other

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Barrington E. Bartlett
  • 49th Wing

As the new year began, I started looking at plans to make this year even better than the last.

Settling back into the office, I reflected on successes and challenges from last year -- from both Holloman and the Air Force.

I saw some troubling statistics on DUIs, sexual assaults and drug use. They bothered me. They really bothered me.

But, numbers don’t lie.

We, as Airmen, must do a better job of taking care of each other. So, on Jan. 2, I got together with Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Miller, 54th Fighter Group, and Chief Master Sgt. Manuel Silva, 635th Materiel Maintenance Support Squadron, to do an all-call with our youngest Airmen so we can begin the conversation of how to really take care of each other.

Now, I know everyone has their own perspective on life, work, etc. But, we are not everyone.

We are Airmen.

We are guardians of freedom and justice. We are the defenders and avengers of our Nation. We are a brotherhood of arms, and we have an obligation, a duty, to take care of each other.

“Taking care of each other” doesn’t mean only at work. It is a 24-hour responsibility. It means on- and off-duty. It means having meaningful interaction with your fellow Airmen. Talk to each other, get to understand what your fellow Airmen need and what you need to truly embody what it means to be an Airman.

I get it. I do. I was invincible. I was, once. I didn’t need assistance with anything. But, in reality, I’m not, and I never was. Experience has reminded me.

None of us are, and the stats from last year remind all of us. We need to do more as Wingmen.

We need to make “good” choices. We need to remember that sometimes those good choices are serious and tough. We need to remind each other that the decisions we make not only affect us as individuals but as an enterprise.

It takes guts to raise your right hand and serve your Nation during a time of war. It also takes guts to tell your buddy, “You have had too much to drink.” It takes guts to say, “I have a problem with alcohol or drugs. I need to get help.” It takes guts to report being sexually assaulted.

I believe in you.

At Tuesday's all-call, we heard inputs and testimonials from our youngest Airmen. We witnessed their courage to speak out. Having been there, I know with absolute certainty that the future of the Air Force is bright.

But, it won’t shine unless we take action today and continue that momentum forward.

I encourage you all to think, to have a serious discussion with your peers and supervisors, and then to be brave enough to take action. Stand up and say, “This isn’t right.” I challenge you all to be that person.

We have an individual responsibility to ourselves and our fellow Airmen to take care of each other – doing what is right.

I believe in you. I believe we can make good choices, and I believe that together we can really take care of each other in 2018 and beyond. Our Air Force expects it, and our future depends on it.