New wing CC holds first ‘all call’

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kelly White
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  One week after assuming command of the 35th Fighter Wing and Misawa Air Base Aug. 31, Col. Michael Rothstein addressed both enlisted and officers during his first round of commander's "all calls."

"As your new wing commander, it's important for you to know how I approach leadership and command, what I believe as an Airman and what I expect of all of you," Colonel Rothstein said.

The colonel explained how the Air Force core values - integrity, service and excellence; developing self and others; trust; teamwork and a warrior's mindset are vital to every Airman's success on- and off-duty.

"You all know what our core values are," he said. "Integrity - there are a lot of ways to define it, but the definition I always come to is that it's conducting yourself when you're alone in such a way that would make your mom and dad proud.

"Service. We are here to serve, to do something 'bigger than ourselves,'" he said, encouraging Airmen to consider a hierarchy of four things before they act. "U.S.A., U.S.A.F., unit and you. Our foremost loyalty must begin with service to our country, then to the Air Force, then our unit and then us," he explained, adding that a way to apply this approach is to consider "if it's good for you, but not good for the unit, it's probably not the way to approach things."

Colonel Rothstein said that especially in today's operations tempo, the ability to achieve the core value of excellence lies in prioritizing and in meeting those priorities with an attitude that produces excellence.

"These core values must permeate every area of our life," he said. "Being in the Air Force is not like working at IBM, McDonalds or on a sports team. Ours is a 24/7 job, and when you take your uniform off at the end of your shift, you don't stop being an Airman. We don't leave our core values at our workplace."

Developing self and others is another aspect the commander focused on.

"Developing yourself doesn't just apply to the 22-year-olds or the 26-year-olds," Colonel Rothstein said. "Every one of us needs to schedule time to sharpen the sword - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually."

Another aspect of "sharpening the sword" through development is seeking and
embracing feedback, he noted.

"You've got to keep doing it to improve," the colonel said. "And developing others applies to our junior members as much as our senior members of the organization," adding that every junior member has things they can teach and add to their organization, helping to make 35 FW a "leadership factory."

Colonel Rothstein stressed that Airmen should work hard to never give away the trust others place in them.

"You trust me to take care of this wing," he said. "I hope never do anything that causes you to doubt my courage, competency or my character."

Likewise, 35 FW Airmen should guard the trust others place in them through
demonstrating these attributes.

"Competency increases with experience, and increased competency builds trust" the colonel said. "People intuitively understand that with technical competence especially.

"But, character and courage don't typically work that way," he said. "People will not be forgiving of breaches in character or showing a lack of physical or moral courage. It will take a very long time and a lot of hard work to reestablish trust in those cases. It can be done, but you never want to put yourself in a position where you need to. We must
always think of how to build trust and not give it away."

Being part of a team and thinking like a warrior are other points Colonel Rothstein shared his thoughts about.

"The 35th Fighter Wing is a giant team," he said. "Actually, we are a team of teams and
also part of a larger team called the US Air Force.

"Just like a sports team, everyone has an important position to play and the team can't truly be successful unless everyone knows and performs their role. Everyone on the team is important.

"A good team pushes each other, inspires each other and holds each other accountable," he added. "Good teams don't bad-mouth or disrespect each other. Disrespect is something we can't have in this wing."

Colonel Rothstein stressed all 35 FW Airmen are warriors and that if they and their families haven't given serious consideration to what that could mean, they need to do it now.

"You need a warrior mindset, to be ready - physically, mentally and emotionally - to go to war at any time, regardless of what your job is," he said. "First and foremost, we need to be ready to deploy and ready to fight."

The final point the commander stressed is the importance of having a positive impact on community.

"The sign at the front gate says this is the world's best base," Colonel Rothstein said.

Whether or not that statement holds true for 35 FW Airmen, on an individual basis, is up to them, he added. "Don't live with things that aren't quite right. Get involved. Find an activity on the base or the local community, and take initiative."

Colonel Rothstein ended his briefing with a recap and his thanks to the 35 FW Airmen for their efforts and accomplishments. "You've got a world-class reputation," he added. "Protect it. Don't give it away."