Excellence in All We Do! Someone Is Always Watching Published Nov. 14, 2008 By Tech. Sgt. Kimberly A. Rowe Forrest L. Vosler Non-Commissioned Officers Academy PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Excellence in all we do! Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Yet why do we continue to see people bending the rules? Maybe, many will claim, they didn't know. Maybe they never had a mentor to guide them to excellence. Perhaps they simply thought no one was looking or no one cared. Ask the Airman you see walking around in uniform with a hands-free earpiece in his ear. Ask the technical sergeant who runs from their car into the store, without his or her cover. The answers will surely vary. The truth is, someone is always watching. Be it the young airman basic, brand new to the Air Force and watching your every move, or a member of our civilian community, someone is always watching. Why not emulate excellence wearing the uniform on your installation as well as away from the work place or the installation? With these ideas in mind, ask yourself: Did I say something? Did I let my fellow Airmen know to get their hands out of their pockets? Did I remind that tech sergeant to zip up his or her gortex? If not, you have given them the thumbs up, inadvertently telling them, "Hey, its okay. I didn't see anything wrong." Whose core values are most lacking: The individual for not emulating proper wear of the uniform or you for condoning it? Gone is the claim that you and they practice excellence in all we do. Excellence in all we do! Yes, young Airman, you too can correct even the highest of ranks. We cannot be rude or belligerent. We don't have to call them out loudly in front of their peers or be disrespectful. A simple, "Excuse me sir/ma'am, did you know that you are not wearing your cover" (or whatever the situation calls for) will suffice. They might be embarrassed, but rightly so. Some individuals simply forget, but does that mean we condone it? Absolutely not! Excellence in all we do! Question yourself. Do I wear my cover from my vehicle to my front door? Chances are, as you walk through the parking lot at the grocery store, cell phone to your ear, the civilians around you may not even know that walking around with your cellular is unauthorized in uniform. But what if they do know? Will they call you out? Most likely, they will not. However, they did see you and saw your unprofessional behavior. Question yourself. Do I display excellence in all I do? Recently, as I helped my son assemble his JROTC uniform for inspection, I proudly explained to him the proper wear. Nail clippers in hand, he clipped strings on his crisp, freshly-pressed shirt and adjusted his gig line. I could only say so much about the importance of his appearance and his demeanor while wearing his uniform. I can only hope I have led by example. He has watched me carefully place my accoutrements on my uniform. He has occasionally accompanied me to clothing sales as I shopped for the latest uniform change and scrutinized my appearance in uniform before a mirror. He's watched me panic as I run through the house looking for my cover and quickly reach for my back up. I hope my concern for personal excellence will rub off on him. I hope young Airmen will see those of us who emulate excellence in our appearance. I hope senior officers notice us as well and believe we have a professional force that takes pride in our image. With all of our professionalism, our civilian neighbors will notice us too. Hopefully our professional conduct and appearance will enhance their belief we are a force that takes pride in our appearance, our conduct and our country. Excellence in all we do!