It must be the people Published May 15, 2006 By Col. Raymond Rottman 375th Airlift Wing SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- When I first joined the Air Force my idea was to serve out my initial five-year commitment, ride out the recession of the early 1980s and then jump back into the civilian sector and make some real money. As the years passed, I was surprised by the level of satisfaction provided by my new military calling. One aspect I enjoyed was the travel, visiting places for the first time as I sought to “log off” another country. While I certainly enjoyed the travel benefits, that in and of itself was not enough to make me stay. There were the education benefits, using tuition assistance to knock out a master’s degree, but that was not the reason I actually enjoyed coming to work each day. There were also diverse job opportunities available to those looking for a challenge, but again that was not what made the military so special to me. I’m not sure when I first realized the reason for my job satisfaction had less to do with what I was doing and everything to do with who I was doing it with. It was the people that made the job enjoyable, professionals who understand and appreciate the value of service to others. They were in the cockpit, in the office, on the flightline, at the bar on Friday and everywhere men and women in uniform gathered. It is the quality of our people that motivate Airmen to reenlist beyond their first term, the reason they choose to stay well beyond the 20 years required for retirement and the reason why many return after retirement to serve in a civilian capacity. In addition to being a pleasure to work with, these same motivated members are capable of making the impossible appear easy. 24 years later, I still look forward to coming to work each day because I know you will be there when I arrive and together we will accomplish our mission. Lead On!