In the days when I still wore a uniform, I was talking to another officer about the people who were under our command when he mentioned they represented a cross section of the country. As I reflected on that comment it occurred to me that it may have been true at the beginning …
Tag Archive: veterans
Nov 11 2010
Developed Leaders: A Salute to Veterans
Standing on the aircraft flightline in the Middle East in August was a humbling experience. First of all, it was hot. I don’t mean a warm sunny day: I mean hot! With the heat radiating off the sea of asphalt, the temperature easily reached into the 130 degree range every day. There was a nice breeze blowing though — sort of like the breeze coming from a blast furnace. This breeze was a steady 40 to 50 miles an hour and carried with it the sand of the desert. The running joke was that part of our stay there included a free exfoliation. As I looked out at the cargo aircraft on the flightline, I saw the scurry of activity that was my maintenance crews working very long days to make those old, worn-out aircraft fly. They were cheerful and took the weather conditions in stride. The only time they seemed to be upset was when they could not get a part they needed to fix a plane. I say “my” maintenance crews because it was my responsibility to lead them. And that’s why standing there was such a humbling experience. They didn’t need much leadership.
