Commander challenges Airmen to 'go all in'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 95th Air Base Wing commander held a commander's call in the base theatre May 14.

Col. Jerry Gandy, 95th Air Base Wing commander, kicked off the commander's call by presenting a 95th Security Forces Squadron Airman with the Combat Action Medal along with 20 other Airmen with command-level awards.

The main focus the commander's call, was identifying ruts in ones performance and in the performance of others as well as what to do to get through them, he also discussed Airmen investing in their careers and career fields.

"Lately I've been observing in others and even noticing in myself things that indicate a rut," said the commander. "We all go through them from time to time but we shouldn't be in them perpetually. We need to find ways to work our way out of it."

He went over some scenarios which an Airman could be going through that would indicate that they may be going through a rut.

"If you find yourself relating to those 'you may be in a rut' statements," said colonel Gandy. "Find ways to get out of it, it's up to you and your leadership to get the skills, resources and training to help you get out of that and back into a routine."

Since the 95th ABW's primary function is support, he then discussed how every job contributes to the accomplishment of the base's mission, as well as the understanding each Airmen should have about what they do and how it impacts the primary mission here.

"If you can't see how what you do is important to the bigger picture, we have a problem," he said. "That's an indication of a rut. It's hard to see how you're helping the mission when you're not seeing its accomplishments firsthand every day."

He continued by asking the Airmen if they can you be "all in," saying if they haven't found a way to relate their career into the bigger picture, they need to speak with a supervisor or co-worker to understand the importance of what they do. People make bigger contributions than they may think, he said.

The commander also spoke to the Airmen of the 95th ABW about investing; in a figurative sense. Saying, they can invest pennies or even a few dollars but the return on their investment won't be as high as if they were to invest their whole salary into what they do.

"We're all invested in some way," said Colonel Gandy. "Keeping everyone highly invested over long periods of time is what takes an organization that's good and makes it great."

He went on to remind everyone to reflect on how important their job is and how many are affected by it.

"Sometimes we need to take a step back and remind ourselves that what we do is part of something bigger than ourselves," said Colonel Gandy. "When I'm able to do that, that's when I'm able to get the most joy out of what I'm doing."


Colonel Gandy closed by reminding his Airmen that they don't continue to get better if they find a comfort zone and stay in it.

"You can't fly without friction," he said. "The same can be said about your work; you can't get better if you're always working within your comfort zone."