COMMENTARY: One voice is missing Published March 10, 2010 By Col. Lenny Richoux and Chief Master Sgt. Michael Warner 18th Wing vice commander and command chief master sergeant KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- This week there is a voice missing from Kadena. We lost one of our Airmen. We cannot replace our teammate. And one gone is too many. In the last several weeks Kadena has suffered two tragic losses: "Why?"; "Did we miss the signs?" and "What could we have done?" While the answers to these questions are important, we all, as Airmen and leaders, need to focus on what we can do to lead: both on and off the job--on the flightline and in the dorms. The "elephant in the room" is that we are an Air Force under great demands. We are all being asked to do more with less, operate under the stress of a high ops tempo during a time of war. At the same time, our society is changing too. We spend more time in front of computers, and involved in individual activities such as video gaming, social networking, and emailing, and focus less attention on building interpersonal relationships, friendships and group activities. Add to this the complexities of youth, in-experience, living in a foreign country away from family and friends, relationship issues, and it is no wonder that some find themselves stretched to their limits. We can capitalize on the fact that we are in this together. As Airmen, leaders, friends, family members, and individuals, what can we do to create an environment that encourages others to know their people and to take care of each other? Taking care of each other transcends rank or position--it is about getting to know each other, building relationships, knowing the available resources, and doing what is right. Discussions on leadership, mishap prevention training, and open-door policies for supervisors and commanders are a start, but these concepts should start at the basic supervisory level. I challenge each one of you to examine the way you interact with your coworkers and unit, to get out and talk with your coworkers to build interpersonal relationships, to get Airmen out of the dorm rooms and get to know as many people in your work place as possible. Get involved in the community, whether it is through social gatherings, church groups, sports teams, taking classes, or visiting a community center. Knowing others and being known on a personal level strengthens us as individuals (and as an Air Force), and helps to identify those under undue stress, and makes it easier to extend or to reach for a life line. We need to be aware when we, or the Airman next to us, are having trouble and how and where to get help. The Air Force has developed a number of resources, programs and agencies to assist all of us in learning how to care for each other and ourselves (Chaplains, Counselors, Airman and Family Readiness Center, and the staff at the Mental Health Flight). Remember, seeking help does not mean we are sick, or too weak to do it alone. It means that we have the wisdom and good judgment to use the available resources to resolve issues early for less impact on us, our families, and units. We need to be willing to help each other, and to let others help us. Our tradition as an Air Force has always been about accomplishing the mission as a team. Teams go beyond the flightline and workshop--they extend to our personal lives as well. Get to know your people. ...I am an American Airman: Wingman, Leader, Warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind. I will never falter. And I will not fail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's Note: Lt. Gen. Loren M. Reno, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, visited Kadena Air Base this week. He added these words after reading Col. Richoux's and Chief Warner's commentary above. Thank you, Kadena, for the privilege of talking with so many of you during my visit this past week. What a great mission you have, and what a pleasure to see how well you are doing it. I'd like to add a few comments to go along with those of Col Richoux and Chief Warner in their article, "One Voice Missing." I think the emphasis is spot-on. When I was a much younger officer, my wife was having our third child late on a Friday night. After his delivery, as my baby son was being rolled through the corridor to where I was anxiously waiting, I saw two couples walking through the door into the same corridor. It was my second-level supervisor (my boss's boss), his deputy and their wives. They had come to see my wife, baby, and me -- at 2330 on a Friday night! It was no surprise that they knew my wife was about to deliver, but it did surprise me that they would come out so late at the end of a very busy week. They cared, and they showed it. That has been a rich lesson to me. It's one thing to care, but it's a bigger thing to show it. As the article says, relationships are so important, and we need to know what those around us are doing, thinking, and feeling. We also need to step into their lives...sometimes...and make a difference...just like those two caring couples showed the Reno's so long ago.