Commentary: In the reserve world, how much service is 'enough'? Published Feb. 5, 2009 By Lt. Col. Bill Lyons Commander, 419th Operations Group HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UT -- I've never been fond of platitudes as a way to motivate people. In and of themselves, slogans and catchphrases don't generate commitment to a purpose. And in 1995, when the Air Force Core Values were declared in their current form - Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do - I was skeptical that they were just another slogan. But over time, I got on board because they were something I could use to assess what I and others were doing. In the seven years since I separated from active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve, it has occurred to me that, while there are no real differences between the components in applying the values of Integrity first (you're either honest, ethical, and moral, or you're not) and Excellence in all we do (you either do your best at every task, or you don't), defining Service before self in the reserve world is a more difficult proposition. In general, while active duty personnel have a service commitment to fulfill, they must conduct military service every day. It is their full-time job. Active duty personnel are often required to do things (assignments, jobs, deployments, etc.) that, given the choice, they would rather not do. In those cases, one must consider bigger things like mission requirements, needs of the service, and duty to the country. Active duty personnel are at the whim of the system until their service commitment expires. But for the majority of reservists, service is completely voluntary. Very few members of the 419th FW carry a service commitment; they could leave today if they so chose. While the reasons behind why they continue to serve are numerous and varied, it's safe to say that a common thread through nearly every reservist is a desire to contribute to the defense of our country. Likewise, for the majority of reservists, this is part-time service. Most have a full-time job in the civilian sector, so the time they spend doing military duty is time away from either their jobs or their families. This leads to an important question: What is the participation expectation for our reservists? How much service is enough service, and how do we determine whether someone is living up to the core value of Service before self? We have struggled with this question within the 419th Operations Group since the inception of the Total Force Integration initiative between the 419th FW and 388th FW, which became a reality here at Hill Air Force Base in June 2007. The old mantra of "one weekend a month and two weeks a year" is the basic minimum requirement for a reservist. In some career fields―and indeed, in some units―that level of participation is still sufficient. But for most Air Reserve Component flying units, that paradigm has been shattered as we have been "operationalized." As the ARC becomes more enmeshed in the day-to-day operations of the active duty Air Force (ARC units flew in Operation Desert Storm, covered Air Expeditionary Force cycles following Desert Storm, and regularly rotate through AEFs in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom today), the need for reservists to devote more time to training, preparation and deployments has significantly increased. However, the "requirement" for most reservists is still just 27 days of service each year. Prior to the Total Force initiative, the 419th OG deployed once every 20 months as part of an AEF rotation (the standard was a 120-day deployment split equally by the three reserve F-16 combat units), conducted one two-week annual training deployment, and typically conducted two or three one-week training deployments per year. While that kept our unit busy, it was nothing compared to the volume of deployments the 388th FW routinely fulfills. Under TFI, the active duty operations (and to a larger degree, maintenance) have become reliant on reserve participation to cover these deployments. To this point, we've been fortunate that we have had ample reserve volunteers to fill the needs thus far. But how long will that last? I encourage my people to volunteer as much as they want and can afford. But I have concerns about reservists burning out under the higher tempo. If a reservist separates from our unit because he or she is unduly pressured into participation, then we've failed. For those who aren't reservists, this may be a difficult point to grasp. It may appear that reservists have to be coddled in order to continue serving. It's not coddling; it's acknowledging and supporting the reservist's difficult balancing act. Most reservists are perfectly willing to get in the thick of things, as long as it doesn't routinely upset the balance they've struck in their lives. Mind you, the reserve is still voluntary service; without a mobilization order, no one has to do more than the minimum requirement. That's what makes the reserve participation we've seen so far under TFI so impressive - our people are choosing to participate and assist when they have no requirement to do so. Their service is no more important or sacrificial than any other Air Force member, but to me, it is truly Service before self! So how much service is enough? I can't really say. Some reservists will have additional time available, and I welcome each additional day they can give. For others, circumstances will allow only the minimum, and if that's the case, I salute them and thank them for their service. Members of the 419th FW understand there's a mission to accomplish, and each day that one of our volunteer Airmen puts on the uniform and reports for duty is a demonstration of Service before self, and is a day we couldn't survive without them.