Commentary: Command chief's early lesson on accountability
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Wednesday, August 6, 2008
There I was, at a remote site with 42 other airmen, minimal contact with anybody outside the post, and serving as the lone postal warrior. It was hard to see the importance of the mission and the urgency behind doing things right. You could say I slightly fell into the trap of those that weren't happy to be there nor took seriously their responsibility. However, I learned the meaning of accountability soon after I met my new supervisor, Master Sgt. Atterberry.
Master Sgt. Atterberry was not only in charge of the communications flight, but was also dual-hatted as the NCOIC of Transportation and Supply. As the postal guy, and after completing all required United States Postal Service requirements for shipping mail, I visited Master Sgt. Atterberry twice per week to ensure outgoing shipments were added to the C-130 manifest for Tuesday and Thursday. I can still remember the first day I took a DD Form 1348 to him for shipment of classified and unclassified mail. Three mandatory sections were blank, and he handed it back to me to do over. My initial response was, "It was OK before," but of course he let me know that "good enough" was not part of his or USAFE's vocabulary.
I re-accomplished the form and returned, thinking I had done everything. Master Sgt. Atterberry then requested the postal tracking number to go along with the manifest. "What," I thought ... I was never taught to nor tracked shipments before. He asked me to research this practice and come back before 1200 so we could get the outgoing mail on its way. For some reason, I felt it more important to eat lunch than to look into it much. So, when Master Sgt. Atterberry came calling for the data and bags, I wasn't ready. And I must say, I wasn't prepared for what happened next either. Master Sgt. Atterberry simply said, "Maybe next plane."
Now to me, it wasn't a huge issue, but once the other airmen found out, it became an eye-opener. Ya' see, there was a staff sergeant attempting to close on a house before the time ran out, and that was the last mail shipment for five days. A technical sergeant had been previously notified of his wife's intention to pursue separation, and this was his first response to her letter received Tuesday. Additionally, the senior master sergeant's son was in an accident and this was daddy's note to his boy saying he couldn't come home yet, but dad was with him in spirit. Wow! I quickly learned a bit more about doing my best and the right thing, and with that, I knew I would be held accountable. For that, Master Sgt. Atterberry simply mandated I stay in the shop all night until I found the reference on tracking packages, details throughout the next week, and that I apologize to all for my not meeting the mark of an airman.
Another two weeks passed and I took another shipment of mail to his office for transit. The DD Form 1348 reflected 110 pounds, but Master Sgt. Atterberry thought it was much more. So, we weighed the bags and the total turned out to be 225 pounds. We changed the manifest to reflect the correct weight, but before I knew it, I was receiving a stern lecture on the potential impact the difference on weight could have on the plane and crew. I quickly went from not initially grasping the concept of balance and survivability to an airman that understood that others' lives depend on how well I fulfill my role and do the right thing. Master Sgt. Atterberry ended the counseling with mandating additional things to accomplish and my apology to the C-130 crew for not being responsible on previous occasions.
I thank Master Sgt. Atterberry for being a person of character and holding me accountable for things I didn't do correctly. It's leaders like him that ensure America's Air Force has the right focus ...one of high standards ... one that serves as the foundation for our success in Air, Space, and Cyberspace ... one that makes America's Air Force the best damn force in the world.
I ask you to commit yourself to high standards ... do the right thing all the time and never settle for anything less than excellence. You may not have Master Sgt. Atterberry standing over your shoulder, but you have approximately 300 million others that are counting on you.
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