Family first? Published March 19, 2010 By Lt. Col. Patrick Reese 30th Medical Support Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- I found something the other day. Among the stacks of old video tapes containing home movies, I found a videotape of my first office in the Air Force. I was so proud of the sign that read "1st Lieutenant," and the wonder of all wonders, situated among the IBM Selectric Typewriters ... our brand new Zenith Z-248 computer with a color monitor! Looking at that video gave me another chance to regale my kids at home and lieutenants in the office with more stories of how things were done back in the good ol' days. It also gave me a chance to ponder how far we have come from the days of getting a typewritten memo to the boss, or writing a talking paper for a command decision, to the accepted practice of today - firing off an e-mail, usually via Blackberry. Moore's Law was originally a theory stating that the density of transistors on a silicon chip is doubling every two years. It has since been used to describe the rapid growth of technology in general. We now have the ability to simultaneously communicate with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. We can measure processes down to the most minute detail and report reams of statistics and results to anyone in the chain of command instantly. Remember the kid who knew the batting average of every major league baseball player? That kid now sits atop a vast statistical empire that encompasses all sports and uses those stats to help him pick his fantasy football, baseball, basketball, NASCAR, golf and curling teams (OK, so I made that last one up). With the head-long rush of technology, every day we are more able to burrow down into the miniscule. The question is ... should we? I submit that we all need to take a moment to breathe. Sometimes we can get so focused on meeting the daily barrage of suspenses while churning out bigger and better ideas, and we forget what is important in life. When I was on a major command staff, we had a general set the tone in the office by stating that he wanted to insert "Family" into the concept of Duty-Honor-Country, and it needed to be put right in front. He told us that as military members, taking care of our families was the first step in the readiness continuum. We needed to go to the second grade play where lil' Johnny plays a blooming sunflower, or attend all the parent-teacher conferences, or take a day of leave every so often to just spend it with our family. These up-front investments of time are a requirement to have a well-rounded life. The general went on to say that there will come a time when each of us will need to move Duty ahead of Family. If we've invested the time and effort with family, then they will understand when duty calls. If we've ignored the family, the problems at home will loom so large that Duty will suffer. At that point, we're probably of little use on both fronts - home and work. A few years ago, there was a hit song called "One Thing." With just the title, it went straight to the point of what we do. Whether your family is a husband/wife, mother/father, kids, dog, cat, bird or hamster doesn't really matter - it's what you do to connect with them that's important. I had a friend put it this way: "When you leave this Air Force experience, the last group you'll thank and the first you'll see on the day after... is your family." Well, dinner's ready. It's time to go home. Remember to turn out the light ... oh, I forgot we replaced the switches with motion sensors. Technology!