When the call comes, will you be ready to answer it?

  • Published
  • By Col. Thomas Jackson
  • 62nd Maintenance Group commander
We live in a very dynamic world; our nation has been fighting back the forces of terrorism for over a decade now but there are still nations unable to resist the forces of terrorists and militants. Take for example, the recent events in Africa where Islamic militants have nearly overrun the entire country of Mali and kidnapped international workers at a natural gas mining operation in Algeria.

Air Mobility Command recently announced a new ethos, you may have seen it on an official letter, a presentation slide, or even on the side of one of our C-17s.

"We answer the call of others so that they may prevail."

What does this new ethos have to do with the scenario I described? A more relevant question for you may be, what is your role in living up to this ethos? Every one of us plays a significant role in the air mobility mission. Whether you fly, fix or load C-17s, or you provide the vital medical and logistics support that our mission requires, every one of us is necessary to make our mission succeed. When the call comes, will you be ready?

Whether it's from another country needing to transport troops and equipment to Africa, or from within our own borders after a hurricane pummels the East Coast, when the call comes for help, we don't get a lot of advanced notice. Your supervisor may call you to say that we need to send a team of Air Force personnel to support a developing contingency. How prepared are you to answer this call? Are your immunizations up to date? If you are military married to military, do you have a dependent care program? Are you adequately trained in your Air Force specialty code or do you still have critical tasks that haven't been accomplished? How long will it take to get your affairs in order? We need to answer these questions before the call comes.

Your role in our mobility mission is to make sure that you are as ready as you can be, because history has shown us time and time again that the call will come. Be ready when it does.