Catton urges for strong core of character

  • Published
  • By Airman Daniel Lile
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Retired Maj. Gen. Jack Catton urged all Air Force members to strive to live their lives by the Air Force core values during Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 15-06's graduation March 13 at Kaye Auditorium here.

Catton, a former 14th Flying Training Wing commander, is known to Columbus as the "father of BLAZE."

"Our Air Force core values of 'Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do' are the fabric of who we are in America's Air Force," Catton said. "It is a way of life for me and it is my priority to be that person who lives their life with integrity and that is true to their priorities."

The Columbus Air Force Base slogan, BLAZE, stands for Building Leaders, Advancing Integrity, Service before self and Excellence in all we do, integrating the Air Force core values into the Columbus AFB mission.

"The BLAZE slogan embodies the Air Force core values," Catton said. "The neat thing about Columbus AFB BLAZE is that you do so much more than train men and women to fly; you are teaching them to be men and women of strong character. That is what our Air Force, our country and the world needs more of."

Columbus AFB's main mission is to produce the pilots who in turn directly defend our country, which is critical to the overall Air Force mission.

"We need to have the most qualified and best trained pilots in our Air Force and in the world, and I believe Columbus AFB does that," Catton said. "To protect our nation's freedoms we have to be really good, and part of being really good is having is having a deep and strong core of character so that we can trust each other literally with our lives while defending freedom."

Core values can have different and deeper meanings to all service members. Catton concluded by urging everyone to come to grips with what builds their personal resiliency.

"If you are in the military, whether you're in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines, you are literally facing life and death situations as part of your job," Catton said. "So you better have a grip on what you really believe in and what you're willing to fight for. I think it's important for any military person to have faith in someone or something that they can rely on."