GRIT

Recently I had the privelege of speaking to 180 or so of our brand new soon to be Air Force officers at Officer Training School on the topic of Violence Prevention and Bystander Intervention in continued efforts in the fight against suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault and the like.  

I posited the following quote to them by Brennan Manning, "To know, is to be transformed by what is known."  Their discussion on this topic through the lens of violence prevention was amazing.

A particular quote brought forth by a very passionate young man adding to why that tangeable, actionable transformation may not SEEM to occur even though respect-inducing attributes such as Service, Excellence & Integrity are foundational to who we are as Airmen, was as such, "One cannot have INTEGRITY without GRIT."

That quote may have been around forever but that was the first I heard it and it was AWESOME.

If we say we KNOW respect, influence, leadership, service, excellence, INTEGRITY... Do our behaviors and attitudes reflect that knowing through a personal transformation?  Do we have the GRIT to make that a reality?

Do we have the GRIT to create a culture, inside and outside the gate, where the norm truly is respect?  

Each time I interact with young Airmen at Officer Training School or at the First Term Airmen Center on topics of Resilience or Violence Prevention, I am encouraged.  

I am encouraged as they seem to understand that to be a healthy AIRman, one must be a healthy HUman.  I am encouraged as they bring forth and expect the GRIT to create that culture in which the individual is respected and expected to be their best self, resulting in the best Airman, Air Force, and society at large. May we all have that GRIT.

#BeAsBuilt

#GRIT

#Respect

#ViolencePrevention

#SuicidePrevention

#SexualAssaultPrevention