Commentary: Making Sure the Parts Fit Published July 12, 2009 By Maj. Christopher Iriarte 18th Equipment Maintenance Squadron KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- There has been a bit of talk lately among senior leaders on Kadena Air Base about standards, military customs and courtesies, and whether or not our Airmen are making an attempt to meet them. So, for this article I thought I would give this commander's perspective on standards. When I was young I used to enjoy a TV show called "Baa Baa Black Sheep," which chronicled the rollicking exploits of VMF-214, better known as The Black Sheep Squadron, a happy-go-lucky band of WWII Marine aviators who shot down enemy aircraft with unmatched precision by day and thumbed their noses at military convention by night, boozing it up, getting into fights, and chasing the nurses stationed on their island. The show's producers hired Col. Greg "Pappy" Boyington, the unit's commander during the show's time period, as a technical advisor, much to the chagrin of his squadron mates. When the real squadron members complained about being portrayed as a bunch of misfits when in reality they were well-disciplined Marines, Boyington replied, in effect, "Hey, it's just a TV show, and the money's good." Today's "Reality TV" notwithstanding, the reality is the actual VMF-214 could not have achieved its outstanding military record if its leadership allowed the lack of adherence to military standards and discipline portrayed in the TV show. An organization that doesn't emphasize and enforce high standards of performance all the time is not going to be able to "pull it together" at a moment's notice when it really counts, such as in a high-pressure combat situation. High performance is a mindset, not just a capability. That's why it is vital to always emphasize compliance to standards - as a leader, you must continually communicate, demonstrate and enforce them; as a follower, you must know the standards and exceed them. You may ask yourself, "What difference does it make on my performance if my hair's too long or my shoes aren't polished?" In fact, that one's shoes aren't polished in and of itself may have no direct bearing on one's work, but it does reflect an underlying attitude towards how one accomplishes the mission. If you accept a "good enough" attitude towards your appearance, then perhaps that is how you get the job done as well - and many times, "good enough" isn't good enough. How many times have you ordered a part for your car, bike or household appliance, waited several days for it to arrive, only to find it doesn't fit? I know when that happens to me, I get hopping mad! I expect that part to fit, and when it doesn't, I've experienced a setback; now I have to reorder the part, hope I get credit for the bad part, and wait for the new one to arrive. Plus, there's no guarantee that the new part will fit either. The mission could not be accomplished because the part did not meet standards. As Airmen, we are all "parts" that make our Air Force machine work. If we do not meet standards, the machine does not perform to its optimum level. For a unit to be successful, meeting minimum job standards is not enough. The Airmen in that unit must embody the Core Values in everything they do - day in, day out, on and off duty. Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do - those are the standards! When our senior leadership says "go," the last thing they need to worry about is whether the "parts" meet standards. They must ... our nation depends on it!