The power of E.
As you scan through this edition of the AIR FORCE COMPTROLLER magazine, you'll notice all the articles are written by our FM enlisted force. Rather cool. You'll read about what our FM enlisted corps does and how they view the FM world. And hopefully when you finish reading the articles, you'll understand the power of E.Our FM enlisted force is made up of more than 3,000 men and women. They represent every state in the union, numerous countries, cultures, races, ages, and religions. The reasons our airmen join the force vary. Some wish to continue a family tradition of serving in the military, while others seek to escape small town USA and see the world. Some join for the educational opportunities, for medical coverage (no political message intended), or because they just needed a job. Whatever the reason, something magical occurs at basic military training (BMT).
BMT is where the power of F begins. Our enlisted are transformed from civilians, to trainees, to airmen in just over eight weeks. If you've never had the opportunity to witness a BMT graduation, put it on your bucket list. Every Friday, Lackland AFB graduates a new class. Airmen form a sea of blue, and march the bomb-run, with chests out, standing tall and proud. Witness BMT and you'll know our nation will be okay. I will be okay because these young airmen, our airmen, who volunteer to serve, will defend us.
The power of E gets fueled at our financial management (FM) technical school. Twelve weeks are dedicated to developing FM leaders of the future. Basic FM skills are taught, including accounting, pay, budget, cost, travel, customer service, and disbursing. At graduation, our airmen are presented the functional badge they earned through testing and application. The event concludes with reciting our Airman's Creed and singing the Air Force song. These men and women are ready to tackle whatever we throw at them.
The power of E grows stronger once our new FMers arrive at their first permanent duty station. They hone their skills, receive hours of training, and begin becoming experts. These airmen are the face of our career field. They stand tall at our customer service counters to solve problems. They learn the complexity of being a great analyst. They make the mission happen at every wing, on every base in the Air Force.
The power of E strengthens as our force grows into the non-commissioned officer corps. They respond when our nation calls. They are the first ones out the door with a satchel of cash or treasury checks to open an airfield, provide humanitarian relief, or beddown a wing. Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Indonesia, and Keesler after Hurricane Katrina are recent examples. It is after operations are up and running that a FM officer shows up--just stating facts.
The power of E bleeds over into the officer corps as well. Generals Spencer, Flowers, and Bolton all wore chevrons. Over 25 percent of our current FM officer corps are prior enlisted. Take a look around at your enlisted corps and see if you can identify a potential officer. If so, guide them to a commission.
The power of E continues as the enlisted corps ages. They, we, I grow into senior non-commissioned officers, section chiefs, first sergeants, superintendents, chief master sergeants, MAJCOM functional managers, and command chiefs. They provide mentorship, leadership, friendship, advice, shoulders to lean on, and sticks to, well, you know. They give until they can't anymore, or until they are asked to honorably retire. But as these aged wonders leave, they know each and every Friday, the cycle and power of E starts anew.
by CMSgt John A. Writer, Executive for Enlisted Matters
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CMSgt John A. Writer is the Executive for Enlisted Matters to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. He is the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary on the utilization, training, and assignment of over 2,000 financial management enlisted personnel throughout the Air Force.
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| Title Annotation: | ARTICLES |
|---|---|
| Author: | Writer, John A. |
| Publication: | Air Force Comptroller |
| Date: | Sep 22, 2013 |
| Words: | 669 |
| Previous Article: | The comptroller's corner. |
| Next Article: | An opportunity for expertise: base-level finance and the center of expertise. |
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