Remembering who you are

By Maj. Kelli Green, 341st Security Forces Squadron Commander / Published May 13, 2015

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- As this year is my 28-year anniversary in the United States Air Force, I'm often asked what motivates me to continue serving. The answer is simple, I remember who I am.

Whatever your role in the USAF - enlisted, officer, civilian or contractor - we can all get caught up in our "daily routines" of fighting next-day suspenses and administrative "stuff," figuring out the best way to hold employees accountable and maintain good order and discipline in our sections or squadrons, prioritizing and then re-prioritizing tasks based on our boss or their boss' intent, trying to figure out how to keep our supervisors off our backs and happy, and the list goes on and on, right? Sometimes the "daily routine stuff" can be taxing and downright de-motivating. Having served in the USAF as both an enlisted member and an officer for this long, some might wonder how I put up with the hustle and bustle and significant changes I've seen through 16 moves and permanent change of stations.

The answer is simple, I always remember who I am and how I fit into the big picture based on my base's mission. First and foremost, I remember I'm an Airman in the greatest Air Force in the world! I'm proud to walk in the footsteps and carry on the traditions of our brothers and sisters who have valiantly fought and won our nation's wars. I couldn't possibly be more proud to be part of such an awesome team, or better yet, family! Then I remember how what I'm currently doing enables my base's mission and how that mission fits into our nation's overall security. For me, I'm a security forces member working for baseside defenders who are the first and last line of defense for our nation's most destructive resources - keeping assets secure so they'll be effective to enable the wing's deterrence and assurance mission. We all help maintain world stability by enabling our nation's deterrence while assuring America and her allies we have their back!

What's even cooler is remembering that mission success demands the whole family be all in. Our base's mission, and ultimately world stability, relies on all of us working together. It might be easy to see how operations, maintenance or even security forces fit into the local mission, but it takes everyone else to be all in or no one can succeed. For example, we need the judge advocate staff and area defense council to help supervisors and commanders with advice on good order and discipline so we can get folks back to work after corrective actions and prevent reoccurrences; we need warrior medics and mental health technicians and doctors to work together to ensure the right care for troops so they can get back in the "fight" as soon as possible; we need our contracts and contractors to build or fix facilities that will enable the mission; we need gyms and dining facilities to ensure troops stay healthy and Airman have good food choices; and the list goes on. If you don't know how you fit in, give me a call and I'll walk you through it.

Remembering that I'm an Airman in the greatest AF in the world and that every day, I (along with all of you) enable world stability via our deterrence/assurance mission and staying fit and ready to fight our nations wars is what motives me to continue serving our country. When you do remember, it's an incredible feeling and really makes the "daily routine" stuff a piece of cake ... and cake is easy to swallow and enjoy.

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