Page 137 - Never Fly Solo

110 | NEVER FLY SOLO
share with you in this chapter. But first I want to share with
you reasons why you shouldn’t quit.
You may be wondering how I was able to fly so many
combat missions as a claustrophobic and never abort. How
can this relate to you when you’re faced with a decision to
press on or quit?
Before deciding to quit a mission, you have to ask your-
self three questions:

• Why am I on this mission?
• What are the consequences, and will others be
negatively affected if I abort this mission?
• If I abort, will I be shirking my assigned
responsibilities and commitments?

In May 1990, at my graduation from the Air Force Acad-
emy, I raised my right hand that proudly displayed my acad-
emy ring, and took the oath of office for the United States Air
Force. It was a firm and public commitment that I would
“well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon
which I am about to enter.” I then spent the next several years
earning my pilot wings, serving as an instructor pilot, and
then flying operationally in the F-16.
I was, and still am, an officer in the United States Air Force.
I have a duty to fulfill and a commitment to live up to. In com-
bat, I had a duty to serve the people who needed me to help
restore peace in the face of adversity. Moreover, my wingmen
also needed me to stick it through and push it up, because
without me the entire mission would suffer. They needed the
mutual support that I could provide.
What would my academy ring and years of military train-
ing mean if I didn’t have the courage to step up and fly in real