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Do the right thing—even when nobody is watching

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Patrick J. Castle
  • 375th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Our decision to serve our great country as Airmen includes a necessary commitment to physical fitness and something I call 'integrity fitness.'

Like physical fitness, integrity fitness requires a disciplined exercise of doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching. As a marathoner, rarely does anyone see me finish my 20-mile training runs, but without those workouts, I would not be fit to finish the race. The heart of integrity is an "all in" commitment, and the habit of integrity is formed by consistently living a life of integrity ... on and off duty. Integrity fitness and physical fitness are essential to the profession of arms, as both protect the health and safety of ourselves and our fellow Airmen.

In 1983, my middle school gym teacher, Mr. Ronken, told us that heart disease was the leading cause of death, which could be prevented by running even just one mile each day. On that day, I made a commitment to run for my health. Disciplined physical fitness prepares me for routine Air Force operations and big fitness events like marathons, not to mention the Air Force fitness test.

Unlike physical fitness tests, integrity fitness tests (doing the right thing) are typically unannounced. While serving as a bioenvironmental engineer at McClellan AFB, Calif., I re-engineered an asbestos abatement plan for a renovation contract, saving about $40,000. The program manager did not want to implement my changes because it would take him "half a day." He was upset that I insisted that he integrate the changes that were worth way more than my annual pay.

Another element of integrity is upholding Air Force standards, such as holding a fellow Airman accountable for professional appearance or language. Doing the right thing usually has short term costs, but is an investment for the long term.

Integrity is an AF expectation and a long term investment for America and ourselves. I am passionate about helping others maintaining their integrity fitness because of the serious consequences of an individual who lacks integrity. Investing in prevention is much more cost effective than cleaning up an integrity issue, as maintaining physical fitness is much less painful than starting from scratch. Without integrity, we are not fit to be Airman. Oftentimes, only the person in the mirror knows if we are "all in" with the heart and habit of integrity. When we finish a duty day or a fitness challenge, we are often the only one who really knows if we maintained our integrity and strove for excellence.

The great marathoner Juma Ikangaa said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."

Physical fitness and integrity fitness are both essential for reaching the finish line of the "Air Force Marathon."