Page 70 - Never Fly Solo

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wingman does what is right and lets the sticks fall where
they may.

• Rank has its responsibilities as well as its privileges. As
an officer in the Air Force, I had (and still have) a responsibil-
ity to comply with the flying regulations and standards of my
squadron. It’s called being a professional. And in the military,
we have a higher calling, with more exacting standards,
because lives are on the line. As a member of your company,
you, too, must comply with its regulations and standards of
behavior, whether or not you agree with them. If you can’t
abide by those rules you have no business being in that posi-
tion and drawing that paycheck. There’s a bigger picture, a
greater ecology, than your personal niche in the organization,
and the regulations and standards are in place to protect that
greater good. While selfish or wrongheaded leaders can at
times create unproductive, even detrimental, regulations, there
is always a way to address the problem with integrity rather
than with maverick behavior.

CUTTING CORNERS DOESN’T SQUARE UP

At the U.S. Air Force Academy, one of the first things we
learned as fourth-class cadets (freshmen) was the honor code:
“We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone
who does.” We also were taught the core values of the Air
Force, starting with “integrity first.” The code and our core
values were drilled into us from day one of basic training,
laying the foundation for all our behavior at the academy and
in our careers.
As we all can attest, sometimes the rules don’t make sense.
We had a few of those at the academy. I remember an incident