Because I’m in Europe as I wrote yesterday’s post, I screwed up my dates and didn’t post on the topic I had intended. Yesterday was the seventieth anniversary of our nations beloved Air Force. All the authors served in our Air Force so I think it’s only appropriate to post on this topic even if it’s a day late.

I don’t think any of us joined the Air Force with the intention to serve longer than one tour and then get out and do something with our lives. Ironically, we all found out that the simple act of serving our country achieved that objective without having to wait four, ten or twenty years. We all love our country and that love was made stronger by our service. I know I speak for all three of us when I say that no matter how hard we worked or how much we sacrificed, the military gave us far more than we could ever contribute to this nation.

The Core Values of the Air Force are Excellence, Integrity and Service Before Self. The values were imbued in us from the first day of basic training and hammered home in subtle and not so subtle ways each day of our careers. The Air Force matured me faster than I eve could have on my own. It taught me leadership by example, good and bad, and that followership is a key ingredient of being a great leader. The Air Force brought the great majority of the most important people into my life. It gave me new skills, new challenges and new experiences that I could never have attained without serving.

Our Air Force is the greatest Air Force in the planet. Happy birthday USAF!