LT. COL. HARRY FOSTER, MAXWELL-GUNTER AIR FORCE BASE, ALA., RESPONDS TO LT. COL. EDITH DISLER’S “FLYBOYS” ARTICLE, APRIL AFJ (http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2008/04/3106346/)

http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2008/05/3471031

My response to Lt Col Edith Disler's "Flyboys" article in the April AFJ:

I have been an Airman in our Air Force for over 26 years. I have been a wingman as an instructor at the USAF Fighter Weapons School. I have been an Airman as the Chief of Tactics in my operational squadron. I have been a leader as a Squadron Commander at the USAF Weapons School. I have been a warrior as an executive officer to a four star general. I have been an Airman as a Group Commander, and a wingman in the E-ring of the Pentagon and in the halls of Congress. Today I am proud to say that "I am an American Airman, I am a leader, warrior, and wingman" as a combat-focused
Wing Commander. I am proud to be in the US Air Force, part of something bigger than myself. I just happen to be a woman.

I think that Col Foster has captured the SOTP (spirit of the problem).

Words are important. They can be used to unify a team, or they can be divisive and destroy a team's morale. I think it was the mid-nineties when senior leadership began promoting the term Airman (capital A) to describe us all as members of a team responsible for power projection through Air and Space. We set up the Air and Space Basic Course to provide all officers with a common experience and identity as Airmen. We do have a problem in that we still use the term as part of our rank structure. That should be a relatively easy fix. A wingman is a force multiplier. Should we stop using the term because someone else uses it in a dishonorable fashion. I think many of these issues develop because some of our people spend too much time in academia, and not enough in the field deploying with other Airmen.