What Makes Us Warriors? Published July 13, 2009 By Capt. Trey Fryman 30th Contracting Squadron VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force has been in continuous combat for over 18 years. To the majority of today's Airmen, this is business as usual. Deployments for contingency operations are our way of life. If you do not deploy, then you cover for someone who does. As one of the most heavily tasked wings in Air Force Space Command, we play a vital role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, yet most of Team V's Airmen would say that they do not personally depict a warrior. Does someone have to be on the front lines before they are considered a warrior? Do you have to be a pararescue jumper rescuing a downed air crew in the mountains of Afghanistan to be a real warrior? What is it that separates someone who serves on the front-lines and those who serve on the home-front? While many factors separate the front-lines from the home-front, it is our attitude that we bring to the mission that should be identical for both places. It can be difficult to embrace our inner warrior when the only thing we battle all day is Microsoft Office. It is all to easy to become caught up with our daily tasks and lose sight of the bigger picture. The warrior spirit, we are asked to embrace, is a state of mind. If we see ourselves as not part of the fight then we will not be as effective as we could. The Air Force is a team that has many parts. Without any one of the parts, it would not function as designed, and our Air Force would cease to be the best. Together, we all play a role in today's combat operations. Do not think of your role as insignificant but as vital. Ask yourself daily, what can I do to protect our country. When we made a choice to join the Air Force, we knew that we could be placed in harm's way, yet we still volunteered. We made the choice to put service to our country before ourselves. That is what it means to be a warrior. It should not matter if we serve on the frontlines or the homefront. When we wear our uniform in public, and a grateful citizen thanks us for our service, they are not concerned with how many combat action metals we have earned but that we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We answered the call to serve our country, the same call that the warriors who have gone before us answered. We have a long, proud heritage and should take satisfaction in being part of it. Embrace the legacy of honor of the warriors who have gone before us. Embrace their warrior spirit.