News

All jobs make a difference

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christopher Rollins
  • 14th Student Squadron
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  "I'm a flightline driver and I love my job."

These are words you've probably never heard before and for others who have had this job, perhaps words that they may never think of. That's understandable. We work long hours, driving a single stretch of road to get our pilots to their planes and back, and often with little gratitude shown by those we serve; after all, it is just another casual lieutenant, it's no big deal.

Well, let me tell why I really do love this job. At first, it was a simple motivator that kept me going: "Hey, I still get to wear this uniform every day; I'm still an officer and I directly impact the mission."

That's easy enough - and it's true; without me those pilots would have to walk or drive themselves, which wears them out, and could lead to a bad flight or worse for the crew. If it means keeping them safe and flying, I'm pleased to do it. But I'll be honest, that only works for so long. Then one day an instructor pilot got on board and asked me to drive him out to where the T-6s were parking because he had a student on his first solo and that he wanted to be out there to make sure he was okay and to welcome him back. He was also wearing the student's nametag as he had given his wings to him to fly. When they came back together, I got to see another awesome tradition as that new solo pilot went for a swim. This was the last ride of my shift that day and it made every 90+ degree minute of that eight hour shift worth it.

Then I got to thinking, every day that these pilots come out here is a new test. Regardless if they're an IP or a student, they've got their own lives to deal with and their own personal stressors to fight through. For the students especially, they could have put everything they had into studying, chair flying, etc, but they may still have doubt. On top of that, the IP's might be in a bad mood too. I might be the one friendly face that they see out there. So, what do you do in that case? You put on a smile, make sure the water has ice, and hang a sign on Wednesday asking "What day is it?" Through those short 30 second interactions, you find out who they are and you make it your duty to start that flight out on a good note for them - student and instructor alike.

You realize that being an officer has nothing to do with being a pilot, but everything to do with taking care of your team. You realize that you don't just impact the mission by getting these men and women to the aircraft, but you keep it alive by holding onto your people. You get them out there safely, you get them out there happy, and who knows, maybe you just made that student who was thinking about quitting decide to keep pushing (I found out that actually happened, who knew those 30 seconds could change his life?).

So how about the night shifts? There's something particularly grueling about coming in at 2:45 p.m. and not leaving until the last crew finally decides to stop touch-and-go's and land. There's something about getting home at 11:30 p.m. and debating whether dinner or sleep should be your priority that is especially irritating. There's something that makes you just a little sad inside knowing that you can now sing along with any song, on any station, at the drop of the first beat because you've sat there listening to them on the radio for hours-on-end. However, there's also something absolutely incredible about watching the sun set as you reflect on how it's just rising on the country of one of your passengers.

You see, at Columbus we have a lot of international students. From Nigeria to Saudi Arabia and from Iraq and Pakistan to Afghanistan and Japan. When you work this job, you start to think about all of them. These officers are also the future leaders of their nations. Every day when I drive them out and back, I think about their families, their villages and communities, and the struggles that they will face as not just professional military aviators, but human beings in places torn by war. One may return to a society that fully embraces and honors them while the other may return to a country divided. Growing up in New York, it wasn't hard to see the melting pot of society that America is so well known for, but living on this base offers a whole new view. In a world so overcome by politics and national rivalries, there is a great equalizer and a truly awesome bond that comes with being brothers and sisters in arms. We train together, we play together, and we fight together. That is the mission I contribute to.

So that's my perspective. We all get moments in life that tempt us to simply go through the motions, but I'm here to tell you that regardless of where you work or who you may deal with, that's not why you're here, and you know that. Your job, whether you're a civilian, officer or enlisted, in an office, flying a jet, checking IDs, or turning that wrench, is to make a difference. How are you going to do it?

My name is Chris Rollins. I'm a flightline driver and I love my job.