Unwavering professionals forging American combat air power Published March 29, 2011 By Lt. Col. Kelley Holbert 41st Flying Training Squadron commander COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 41st Flying Training Squadron's mission statement is succinct and to the point, it describes who we are and what we do: Unwavering Professionals Forging American Combat Air Power. I believe a short discussion of our mission statement will serve to put into words what it means to be an Airman in the 41st. Unwavering Professionalism can best be explained in two parts; Moral Commitment and Technical Proficiency. Everyone who raised their right hand and swore to protect and defend the constitution of the United States made a moral commitment to defend our nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. That moral commitment is in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week on and off-duty. I assure you that every Buzzsaw is morally committed to the mission when they strap into a T-6 and teach a brand new student how to land a high-performance aircraft for the first time. They are definitely morally committed as they fight thru language barriers with an international student while simultaneously instructing formation wing work within 10 feet of another aircraft at 90 degrees of bank in our operating areas. However, moral commitment is more than just commitment to our jobs; it is also a commitment to our families, friends and our fellow Airmen. It is consistently doing the right thing in all facets of your life and serving as a positive representative of what it means to be an Airman in the United States Air Force. When I was stationed in Japan, my boss constantly made a point to every Airman in his command regarding the fact that we directly represented the United States of America every time we were off-base among the Japanese people and the impression we made on a personal level, positive or negative, did in fact have strategic consequences for the US/Japan bi-lateral security alliance. I'd argue that here in the United States, military personnel have the same responsibility to make a positive impression to the very Americans we are sworn to defend. Like it or not we stand out in a crowd of our fellow Americans just as U.S. Airmen stood out in Japan. Unwavering professionals must also be technically proficient in their career field. In our case, it entails the wide-ranging mission-set of a T-6 instructor pilot who must be able to instruct contact, instrument and formation flying to our US and Allied student pilots. Every time we fly, lives depend on our technical proficiency. That proficiency requires constant study and routine execution. It also requires a good deal of common sense, good judgment and mutual support to safely execute our flying mission. The second part of the mission statement describes what we do, Forge American Combat Power. The American people don't pay their taxes so the Air Force can fly around, look cool and burn JP-8; they are paying for the unmatched power we bring to the joint and coalition fight. Additionally, the effectiveness of American combat air power is greatly impacted by the capabilities of our joint and coalition partners. The International and ALP students we train on a daily basis here at Columbus Air Force Base are critical to our future combat capability. The relationships we are building in our flight rooms and in the aircraft will have a long-term, positive effect on our ability to bring overwhelming combat airpower to bear against any aggressor around the world who threatens our nation or any of our coalition partners. The Airmen of the 41st Flying Training Squadron are true Unwavering Professionals Forging American Combat Air Power!
