Thoughts_I Choose To Serve

Thoughts:

I Choose To Serve

For roughly 9 years I was in the active duty Air Force. There were many times that I would go on a trip, or return home to enjoy some rest and relaxation, and would be asked a question by an old friend or old coworker.

Where are you stationed at these days?

Stationed… Thinking about this I dive deeper in to what this question means.

Where had the Air Force sent me… What had the Air Force told me to do… How long will the Air Force hold me in this location… What is the Air Force mission I know serve and perform in… How far away from home has the Air Force sent me now…

Many thoughts can be carried on from this simple question that almost every single active duty service member can relate to. Because they have simply been asked it, or something similar at one, or even at multiple points in their career.

As I transitioned in to the Oregon Air National Guard however, I began to see a different mindset and perspective. For many of us, we say “We’ve been called to serve.” or “We answered the call” Many times this is in reference to the United States, our Nation. But for the Air National Guard, and those in the National Guard, there is a core connection to the community, to the State they live in, to the people that they have grown up with and around.

I have come to find that many of the people I serve along side in the Air National Guard, grew up in the town right next to the base, or a short ways away from it. They were raised here, their family members served here, it was a family of generations who served. There is a deep rooted love and commitment to serving their community members, their state, and their country. The call to service appears to be a much deeper connection to the local community as compared to the active duty member who gets stationed at different locations throughout their time in the service.

The active duty member is stationed where the Air Force sends them, the Air National Guardsman chooses to serve their local communities, and their nation. A choice to serve is no less honorable or distinguishable than the other, it simply helps us see two different perspectives and two different missions. The Federal, and The State. Regardless of which mission is being performed, there are men and women across this Nation, at home and abroad who all raised their right hands, recited an oath and simply said, “I choose to serve.”