Essay Sample on Air Force Core Values

What are core values? A core is defined as the center or foundation and values are defined as something of importance so by definition core values are the foundation of importance. The types of core values differ for each person. People come from different walks of life and have different experiences from which they get their core values. The core values I have chosen are professionalism, flexibility, teamwork, trustworthiness, and knowledge.

Professionalism is important to me because I believe it is one of the foundations of being a leader. If you do not look or act professionally, people have less faith in you or be considered a “lazy” person. Flexibility in the military or life is important due to that life happens very quickly. A call for deployment or a family member or friend in dire need. You need to be flexible to react to certain situations quickly. An experience I have is when I was deployed in 2013. My wife was pregnant with my firstborn daughter and all my interactions were through bad internet service. I missed her birth because I was on a mission. I was disappointed, but I knew I had a job to do out there and I just had no choice but to focus. Teamwork is just as important as my other choices considering there are certain situations you cannot do alone. Being able to work together to complete a goal or task effectively is something we try to execute every day. Trustworthiness goes hand in hand with teamwork. It is simply difficult to work with someone you do not trust, this goes for outside of work as well. Imagine riding in a car, as a passenger, and you have no trust in the driver. You might be stopping every 5 minutes just to reassure yourself or you might not even get into the car. Finally, knowledge. Ever heard that saying, “knowledge is power”? Knowledge is important to me because everything in life requires knowledge. In my experience, going to tech school for my AFSC, HVAC technician, learning and gaining experience helps when you head into the field. Going to a project site and displaying the knowledge needed to fix the problem could either destroy the equipment more in turn cost the Air Force more money or repairing it and getting a recommendation.

The Air Force also has core values, Integrity First, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. These values follow us from the first day of basic until the end of our careers. Many people who enter basic training come from different backgrounds and some are straight from high school. Some have no real-life experiences, the Air Force, or any military branch, set aside values to help guide them. Comparing my core values to the Air Force core values to find how to mesh and adjust for myself. For example, Integrity first and trustworthiness. Both are based on honesty. But both can be different. Integrity is one’s moral code and trustworthiness is being trusted by someone or giving trust. Comparing flexibility and Service before self, flexibility is the ability to be able to adjust and modify and Service before self is being about to adjust and modify yourself to the needs of the Air Force. For knowledge, professionalism, and Excellence in all we do is how we are perceived by other people and ourselves. The comparison between knowledge and Excellence is for knowledge, facts and skills define how much you know about the subject, and Excellence in what we do is the mindset of doing our best and striving to improve. Both are about proving you have the knowledge to excel and improve.

Aligning your core values and the Air Force is difficult at times. For Integrity first, trustworthiness, and teamwork all work hand in hand. You should be able to trust your teammates and trust in yourself to accomplish a certain goal. For Service before self and flexibility, you cannot have one without the other. Being able to be flexible to the Air Force. Excellence in all we do, knowledge, and professionalism work the same way as integrity and teamwork. To show excellence, you must have the knowledge and show you are a professional in what you do.

In conclusion, the fact we serve under the military values does not mean we have to get rid of our values. I demonstrated my values and how they are compared to the Air Force values. Also, explaining how they are aligned with one another. Comparing and aligning your values to the military values helps me to realize how service members can be more motivated and less likely to get in trouble by following the core values. Although there will be road bumps and barriers, being resilient and applying the Air Force and your core values will help you overcome them.