Commanders share in the good and bad Published June 24, 2009 By Master Sgt. Ronnie Tabor 375th Medical Operations Squadron SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Having just moved into his new office, a brand new Colonel was sitting at his desk when an Airman knocked on the door. Conscious of his new position, the Colonel quickly picked up the phone, told the Airman to enter, and then said into the phone, "Yes, General, I'll be seeing him this afternoon and I'll pass along your message." Feeling as though he had sufficiently impressed the young enlisted Airman, the Colonel asked, "What can I do for you, Airman?" "Nothing important, Sir," the Airman replied, "I'm just here to hook up your telephone." While that may not be the best commander joke in the world, many times we cultivate false impressions of our commanders similarly. Outside of attending commander's calls or getting into trouble, most military personnel do not have the opportunity to spend much time with their commander. This typically leads to misconceptions. Squadron superintendents and first sergeants get to see "The Boss" in a different light. They see, up close and personal, the good, the bad and the ugly faced by our Air Force squadron commanders on a daily basis. Here are a few not-so-often mentioned moments that hopefully dispel jokes like the one used to start this article. The good is easy. This includes swearing in a NCO as he/she reenlists for another four years, recognizing the top performers each quarter or visiting a section before a long holiday to wish everyone a safe and fun time. It may be when the commander stops by the hospital to congratulate a young couple on the birth of their child or when they get to hand out a pass to the individual who aced their fitness evaluation. Sometimes the good is as simple as receiving a crisp salute. The bad is when the commander has to explain "why" to a parent whose son or daughter has been separated from the Air Force based on the commander's recommendation, reviewing a list of members picked up over the weekend on DUI charges and knowing the potential damage each has done to their career. It is having to recommend non-judicial punishment for a member with an exemplary career but has had made a horrible decision. The ugly comes in the form of notifying the next of kin when one of their own commits suicide, helping a member work through a domestic abuse incident and even having to make the tough decision to recommend separation after exhausting all options to salvage an Air Force career. Most Air Force members will deal with only a handful of crisis situations during their military career. A commander does not have that luxury, instead they take each crisis onto their shoulders personally and over time these add up into the hundreds if not thousands of events. Our commanders carry so much more than the general public is aware of. Yet, you never hear them complain; instead, when the load gets heavy they take a deep breath and continue to lead us day in and day out, ensuring the mission gets accomplished. Sir Winston Churchill said, "To create great armies is one thing; to lead them . . . is another." There is no doubt that the personnel at Scott are members of the greatest military in the history of the world and this is a direct result of the quality of our commanders. Make time this week to say "thanks" to your commander!