Responsibility and personal readiness Published July 5, 2007 By Col. Timothy Pendergrass 436th MDG commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- An online search reveals that 'responsibility' has many definitions, including my personal favorite from The American Heritage Dictionary 'something for which one is responsible; a duty or obligation.' Sir Winston Churchill once said, "The price of greatness is responsibility." As warrior Airmen in the world's greatest Air Force, we should pursue and embrace our personal responsibility to be ready Airmen; physically and emotionally healthy, fit and ready to perform our duty at home base, and ready to deploy. The Air Force provides us with the job training and tools we need, but personal readiness is our individual responsibility. There are several areas where we can have great personal impact, including safety, physical health, fitness and well-being. On a daily basis, we must practice operational risk management at work and off-duty to keep safety foremost and prevent injuries that diminish our capacity to perform the mission. An injured Airman who cannot do his primary job or fulfill a deployment tasking is not a ready Airman. We are responsible for our personal fitness. Exercise time provided during duty hours and unit PT is a great foundation but may not be sufficient to maintain and improve fitness. Individually, we are responsible for making time in our lives to maintain and improve our personal fitness. Those who need a little help getting started or improving their fitness should take ownership and actively seek out assistance from their squadron physical-training leaders, the Fitness Center and the Health and Wellness Center. Like any Air Force weapons system, Airmen need periodic inspection and maintenance. Our annual Preventive Health Assessments and dental examinations are great opportunities to identify trends that need attention to prevent long-term health problems such as high cholesterol, high-blood pressure or other problems that may not be evident on a day-to-day basis. However, personal responsibility for our health doesn't stop with an annual visit to the clinic and an annual fitness test. Our plan needs to include a healthy diet and avoiding toxins like tobacco, which, while legal, decrease performance. The Culture of Responsible Choices clearly emphasizes our individual responsibility to make the right decisions regarding alcohol use. The "0-0-1-3" slogan is a great memory tool: "0-0" - no underage drinking and no DUIs, "1" - our livers can process about a drink an hour and "3" is the maximum number of drinks that should be consumed in one evening. Stress, whether from personal relationships strained by a high operations tempo and deployments, financial difficulties or countless other causes can undermine our personal readiness. A wide range of assistance is available from sources including the Chapel, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, the Mental Health Clinic or the Military One Source program. Here, we need to be responsible as individuals and as Wingmen we need to help each other as well. For members with families, our responsibilities includes making sure our personal affairs are organized for a possible deployment. · Are our finances in order? Will the money be there to pay the bills while we are away? · Have we ensured our insurance names who we want as beneficiaries? · Do we have a current will? The Air Force provides us with the support to make sure these arrangements are in place, but it is our responsibility to accomplish it. This is certainly just a peek at the many areas in our lives where personal responsibility gives us the opportunity to improve our support of the mission. Challenge yourselves and each other every day to seek out new personal responsibilities. Those who are physically and emotionally healthy, fit and prepared to make the most of their training and experience will maximize their contribution to the mission, at home and downrange: in short, they are "ready" Airmen.