Tradition vs traditionalism Published July 19, 2011 By Lt. Col. Gregory Cullison 436th Medical Support Squadron DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- I attended a few great events last month. The Health Services Administration School, which I had the great fortune to lead as the director a few years ago, conducted their final graduation ceremony at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. The school is moving to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, next month as a consequence of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission Report. The graduation was the traditional dining out, chock full of dignitaries such as four former Medical Service Corps Chiefs, several former schoolhouse commanders, former instructors and current Medical Group commanders. The keynote speaker was Brig. Gen. (ret.) Donald Wagner, the first Corps Chief to earn the rank of brigadier general in 1981. Wagner is always a great speaker, and I fully expected more of the same. But this night he was masterful. He spoke of the current challenges of Air Force officers, as compared with those in his days on active duty. He spoke of Air Force core values, and he spoke of Air Force tradition, and the difference between traditions and traditionalism. On that point, the general quoted theological scholar Jaroslav Pelikan, who said "tradition is the living faith of the dead. 'Traditionalism' is the dead faith of the living." Pelikan meant celebration of traditions is healthy and positive and 'traditionalism' is unhealthy and promotes stagnation. I would like to expand on this theme a bit. A 'traditionalist' believes that the tried-and-true ways of seeing the world and of doing things are the only correct ways, and nothing is ever truly done for the first time. While we clearly do not have a culture of pure 'traditionalism' in the Air Force, every organization has a certain tendency to cling to the way it has been doing things in the recent past; if it is not broken, don't fix it. There are clearly individuals in the Air Force who are more likely than others to adhere to the past, and resist innovation and progress. In other words, change is easier for some Airmen than it is for others. I began my military career as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. I recently attended my 7th Infantry Regiment reunion in Harrisburg, Pa., and it was great to see my old brothers in arms, including my old battalion and brigade commanders from Operation Desert Storm. Regimental reunions are a proud Army tradition in which we honor and enjoy fellowship with our comrades from past wars as well as soldiers serving in the regiment today. Last week, I also attended a retirement ceremony of a U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps officer who I was deployed with in Afghanistan last year. This was the first Navy retirement ceremony I had ever seen, and it was rich in pomp and tradition. They had a boatswain whistling the official party onto and off of the stage as they passed between and saluted six military members known as 'side boys.' The flag ceremony was similar to those seen at some Air Force ceremonies, but the ceremony was more elaborate than any I had ever attended. Most of us have heard that the Air Force does not have the same number and variety of traditions as the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Well, so what? We are 150 years younger than those guys. We have three traditions that count. We have a tradition of integrity, a tradition of service, and a tradition of excellence. It is not a contest to try to develop tradition. It will come with time because traditions endure. Honoring those who have come before us, on whose shoulders we now stand is a tradition we should practice regularly. We also need to make sure we embrace the constant change facing the environment in which we operate. We need to embrace the spirit of Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century and continuous improvement of our processes and we need to focus our efforts on mission effectiveness and customer service. Whenever we get a chance, let's de-emphasize "traditionalism" and foster a culture of Air Force pride.