Comptroller training flight - Column

Greetings from the land of all-you-can-eat seafood buffets! It's time, once again, to pass on any current info from the FM Schoolhouse in beautiful Biloxi, Mississippi. Once again, yours truly was tasked with coming up with an article worthy of your time and energy. I consulted with the editor of this publication to see if there were any ideas or direction she'd like to see coming from our page. I received divine guidance from above. It seemed too coincidental that shortly after seeking advice from the editor, General Jumper's article on Stewards of the Air Force--Investing in our Future Force pops up. So, for whatever role you had in that Ma'am, we thank you.

In all seriousness, General Jumper's article was a welcome addition to the same sentiments already expressed by our senior FM leadership. My goal in this quarter's article is to grab some of the highlights from the General's thoughts and reemphasize them ... it's served up on a silver platter, I'd be silly not to take advantage of it. I know we may not be the only educational institution using this recruiting pitch, but certainly it's a story worth retelling.

Undoubtedly, the Chief's Sight Picture gets out to the entire Air Force world, so you'll have to forgive me if you've seen this already ... I equate this opportunity to the old story about the man throwing starfish back into the ocean. When a young man asks him why he's throwing starfish one by one back into the ocean for their survival, when there are thousands to be saved (an impossible feat), the man replies I don't have to impact thousands, but I just impacted that ONE. Yes, I am respectfully plagiarizing the majority of the article in hopes that this may touch one new person, or one skeptic.

One of the basic leadership principles of any successful organization is the investment of time and energy in properly preparing successive generations ... As stewards of the future Air Force, we all have a stake in preparing those who follow to lead this Total Force team.

... it's hard to deny the positive effect outstanding teachers and instructors have had on our proficiency and our professional development. We know that those involved in education or training are invariably rewarded by the impact they have on succeeding generations. They also come away from their experience with a renewed appreciation for their profession, both in terms of the skills required to be an expert in a chosen field and, more so, with respect for the airmen who are following in their footsteps.

Assignments in education and training positions benefit the entire Air Force. By embracing the training of future generations as a key principle of leadership, we ensure our successors are trained by professionals who pass on their knowledge and experience. Instructor duty benefits not only the students who learn from practitioners steeped in the traditions and the latest tactics, techniques, and procedures of their specialty, but also those instructors who revisit the fundamentals of their profession. Instructor duty enables each of you to view the world through the eyes of your students, absorb your students' enthusiasm at what lies ahead, and make a valuable contribution to our most fundamental competency of Developing Airmen.

Our force's capabilities are based on the collective abilities of our personnel and a dedicated career-long focus on the development of professionals. We are the best Air Force in the world because our people are the best at what they do. Our combat capability as an Air and Space Expeditionary Force depends on each of us passing knowledge gained through years of education, training, and real world experience to those who follow.

We must all recognize the importance and value of instructor duty. Service as an instructor is part of a full career and I challenge each and every one of you to take advantage of these opportunities. As an institution, we must also acknowledge its value and reward those that take on the responsibility to perform instructor duty.

I am extremely proud of all that you do each and every day to make our Air Force the best trained and educated Air and Space Force in the world.

Once again, I appreciate your indulgence. Stay tuned for next quarter's article.

COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. Air Force, Financial Management and Comptroller
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group