Home > News > Commentaries > Display

What Legacy Will You Leave Behind?

By Senior Master Sgt. Tom V. Johnson, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron First Sergeant / Published November 13, 2009

PRINT | E-MAIL
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- From the moment you entered the world, since you inhaled your first breath, spoke your first word, or took your first step, you have been building a legacy you'll leave behind for those who follow after. You may not realize it -- most of us don't think that far down the road -- but your actions or inactions have lead you further down the path towards your D.A.T.E. with destiny, your opportunity to change things for the better.

Ultimately, the legacy you leave behind won't be determined by the type of car you drive, how much money you make or by the number people who called you a friend. It will be determined by how you reacted when it came time for your D.A.T.E. (Desire, Attitude, Teamwork and Excellence) with destiny.

Everyone has in them the ability to do great things. Granted, not everyone possesses the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the business sense of Bill Gates, or the visionary mind of Col. Billy Mitchell. But the traits that resided in those men that allowed them to achieve greatness can be found in all of us. What allowed that greatness had little to do with "special skills." It had to do with how they chose to face the challenges life threw at them.

Each of those men chose to embrace their D.A.T.E. with destiny rather than shy away from it. They had the Desire to achieve their dreams, an Attitude that gave them the courage to learn from and accept their failures, an understanding that Teamwork was essential to reach their goals and the drive for Excellence that forced them to make sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They embodied these attributes, applied them to their lives, and in doing so, left behind a legacy that speaks for itself.

Each of us are faced with decisions daily. Large or small, these choices build the legacy that we will leave behind. When you face challenges, how do you choose to react? Do you quietly step aside and let those challenges slip by, or do you embrace your destiny and face those challenges with the Desire, Attitude, Teamwork and Excellence that have led others to greatness.

Are you willing to do what's necessary to leave our Air Force better than you found it? Steve Prefontaine, a world-class long distance runner who lost his life at an early age once said, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Don't waste your gift.

USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.