Our Heritage

Integrity First

Integrity is a character trait, a willingness to do what is right even when no one is looking. It is the moral compass, the inner voice, the voice of self-control and the basis for the trust imperative in today's military. Integrity is the ability to hold together and properly regulate all of the elements of one's personality. A person of integrity acts on conviction, and controls impulses and appetites.

Integrity also encompasses these moral traits indispensable to national service:

• Courage

• Honesty

• Responsibility

• Accountability

• Justice

• Openness

• Self-respect

• Humility

Service Before Self

An Airman's duties always take precedence over personal desires. At the very least, it includes the following behaviors:

• Rule Following

  • To serve is to do one's duty, and our duties are most commonly expressed through rules. While it may be the case that professionals are expected to exercise judgment in the performance of their duties, good professionals understand that rules have a reason for being - and the default position must be to follow those rules unless there is a clear, operational reason for refusing to do so.

• Respect for Others

  • Service before self tells us also that a good leader places the troops ahead of his/her personal comfort. We must always act in the certain knowledge that all persons possess a fundamental worth as human beings.

• Discipline and Self-Control

  • Professionals cannot indulge themselves in self-pity, discouragement, anger, frustration or defeatism. Airmen and Space Professionals have a fundamental moral obligation to the persons they lead to strike a tone of confidence, and forward-looking optimism.

Excellence In All We Do

Every American Airman strives for continual improvement in self and service. Excellence in all we do directs us to develop a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation that will propel the Department of the Air Force into a long-term, upward spiral of accomplishment and performance.