I can remember the first time I looked out at a sea of faces such as these, filled with ambition and hope. It was during my son’s school’s musical recital. The children were, understandably, very excited to share all of the songs they had learned with their parents. They had even thrown in some of their own improvised dance moves to spice things up. They were already leaders in their own rights. The teachers let it slide because creativity is still encouraged in some places in this dark, dreary world. They were so happy, and full of light. As they smiled, it seemed like each of them was born to grow up and lead us all into a better tomorrow. Today, that is what I am reminded of.
As you stand here before me today, having completed the rigorous training necessary to graduate the Air Force NCO Academy, I am reminded of the wise words of John Quincy Adams: If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, or become more, you are a leader . Somewhere, in your young lives, somebody had this impact on you. Somebody brave, strong, or smart showed you that you could be more than what you were, and you tried. You tried every day to make something of yourself. Sometimes to your surprise, and sometimes not, it worked, leading you here to this day, where it has all paid off.
I will not lie. Many of the days ahead of you will be long and difficult. Some will be arduous; you will wonder if you have made the right decision, or if you can even finish the task in front of you. I implore you to remember the feeling of elation and accomplishment that you feel at this moment. You have completed the first step in a lifetime of success. This is the moment you have decided that you are a winner; life will not defeat you, because you have shown life that you are going to take from it all that you can. You will win. You will motivate. More importantly, you will lead.
On those difficult days, and in those difficult times, when it seems like perhaps you have made the wrong decision, I also want you to remember the person who inspired you to be here. Recall the sense of wonder you were filled with that was so awe-inspiring it changed your very course of life. Maybe before this you wanted to be a firefighter, a landscaper, or a math teacher. You could still do those things, but instead, you saw somebody leading in a different way and you thought, “I want that to be me.” Now that is you. On those days when times seem difficult, and you do not think your feet can reach the next rung of this ladder, remember that you were once inspired, but also that you are now somebody’s inspiration.
Apart from providing leadership and inspiration to one another and the country, you are also an established framework of what a model team should look like. You, as individuals, have learned lessons in teamwork that nobody else will be privy to learn, lessons that are invaluable to anybody else. The classmates sitting to the left and right of you share this knowledge; they understand what it takes to work as a team and get a job done efficiently. You are now able to take these lessons out into the world, and show people what it really means to work as a unit, communicate effectively, and help one another.
These virtues of character, leadership, teamwork, and communication, are something you can carry with you for a lifetime. Use them in good health. Use them to make yourselves the upstanding citizens you set out to be. Uphold the name of the United States Air Force in all the glory that should be bestowed upon it. Never take for granted what this course has taught you, or what the men and women standing next to you are willing to give in order to help you get a job done. There will be difficult days ahead, yes. There will be difficult days. Nevertheless, because you have been inspired, and because you are leaders, you can face every obstacle in front of you with discipline, perseverance, and the intelligence of a United States Air Force NCO. You are capable. You are forthright. You are a part of the United States military and we thank you for your service.
References
Burnison, G. (2012). Its All About the People. Leadership Excellence, 15.
