The second of the
US Air Force's three
Core Values (The other two being
Integrity First and
Excellence in All We Do),
This is a
damn fine value to have. Most
servicemember already have it. Notice it in their title - "
servicemember." Notice that they are
making one-half or less of what their
civilian counterparts are making. But really, that isn't what this
value is all about.
This value is about the bureaucrats who make up the field grade ranks being PHBs and self-serving as all hell. It is used as a weapon; a means of turning down requests. For instance:
- Airman: Sir, I'd like to leave early this Friday.
- (What s/he's really saying: "Sir, I've worked my ass off, working 60 or 80 hours a week, and I'm paid so little that my family is on food stamps. The five other people that are supposed to be working in my shop don't exist because of downsizing, and I'm doing the work of six. That's when I'm not deployed for back-to-back rotations in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, your lazy fat ass goes and plays racquetball every day for an hour, and then you cut out at 4 to go to the gym three days a week. And you're making three times what I make. Can I go home early one lousy day so that I can actually see Junior in a Little League game for once?")
- Major: Service Before Self, Airman Jones.
- (What s/he's really saying: "Sucks to be you.")
Really, you don't have to remind most of the military about the importance of service. They already know it.