We are all support Published Oct. 10, 2008 By Col. Mark E. Burns 35th Mission Support Group commander MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- We are all in the business of supporting the military effort of the United States. Knowing where your job fits in to that effort will help you to understand, prepare and execute your important part of the overall Air Force mission. For some, that is easier than others. The explosive ordnance Airmen have an extremely critical and dangerous mission in direct support of forces on the ground. The Logistics Readiness Squadron drivers, trucking critical supplies across Iraq and Afghanistan, have an important and perilous job to support and sustain the forces in the area of responsibility. Security forces personnel guarding bases, patrolling outside their walls and covering convoys ensure the mission of the military can be accomplished safely. The maintainers who provide a fully mission-ready aircraft with the proper weapons at the proper time see, firsthand, what their efforts will bring to the mission. The pilots who fly air coverage to ensure the bomb droppers get to their targets understands well the importance of that mission. The pilots who drop the bombs to support the troops on the ground or in support of a strategic mission for the combatant commander have a direct connection to the impact of their mission. For others, the "degrees of separation," from the impact of the weapon, protecting the striker, maintaining the world's best aircraft or being in direct support of forces on the ground, can lead some to feel distant from the Air Force mission to fly, fight and win. The reality though, is that their job is as critical to the Air Force's successful completion of its mission as the pilots who drop the bombs. For example, a diligent Airman (military or civilian) from contracting can save millions of dollars for the military that can be used for other critical needs, which, in turn, could be the difference between putting a smart weapon on target or not. An Airman from the health and wellness center, carefully crafting programs to improve the health of our Airmen, could be the difference in ensuring enough Airmen are deployed to execute the mission successfully. The Airmen from the force support squadron are critical to the health, attitude and welfare of not just our military members, but their families as well. That FSS Airman could be the difference between a military member down range totally focused on the mission and one who is dealing with great problems back at home, thousands of miles away. I had an Airman, one time, tell me his job during an exercise was to change the mission oriented protective posture transition signs. He said it was not a very glamorous job. I explained to him that his ability to change the sign in an accurate and timely manner could be the difference between a maintainer having enough time to ready an aircraft, and therefore, a mission success or a mission failure. It is critical to the mission of the Air Force that you know how to do your job well and that you know how your job fits in to the overall success of the United States military. I think you will find the tasks you perform have only a few degrees of separation from the success or failure of our mission to fly, fight and win. No matter where you work and what you do, we all are support assets for the mission of the United States military, and for that reason, we should take great pride in, and diligently improve, our efforts to excel in all we do.