Airmen are warriors Published March 31, 2008 By Master Sgt. David Stubblefield 8th Civil Engineer Squadron first sergeant KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- I sent an e-mail early December 2007 and asked the squadron, "Do you consider yourself a warrior? Why or why not?" I got several replies back including, "to me a warrior is someone who fights, whose life is literally on the line every day," "we the Air Force are like a business, which stresses professionalism," and "I'm not a Spartan." I'm not trying to convince you you're something you don't believe you are, but just think about this. I know what the dictionaries define a warrior as, but when you think about it, people actively engage in battle when they have to. We, as Airmen, engage in battle when we have to also. I was the shirt for the logistics readiness squadron at Kirtland AFB, N.M. and one of our Airmen, Airman 1st Class Christian Jackson, received a Bronze Star Medal for his actions in Iraq. He was a vehicle operator. He drove distinguished visitors and aircrew on a daily basis, but he was told to go to Iraq and drive guntrucks. Read about him here. . My point with this is while we are given a career field by the Air Force, we do what we're told, which may lead us into the line of fire. We were civilians. Civilians go about their daily lives and rarely stray far from where they grew up. They are the fabric of our society and keep the economic and industrial machines running. They are there for their spouses and children, go to PTA meetings, their children's games and tournaments, etc. They are Americans and, for the most part, go to bed at night feeling safe looking forward to another tomorrow, yet they don't swear or affirm that they will protect this nation to the point of giving their lives for it. This way of life is in contrast with ours. We chose to be different. We stepped to the line, raised our hands and swore an oath to protect our country, our families and our way of life even if it costs us our lives. We move and deploy to faraway places in the world. We put our lives on the line to protect the red, white and blue, our flag, our country, and her citizens. That means we are often not around for our spouses and children. We miss the PTA meetings and games. Where civilians can feel fairly secure in living at home in America, we put ourselves in harm's way when asked because we stepped forward and said we would. Whatever you do in our Air Force, you contribute to our war-fighting ability. Just because you are not holding a gun on the front line doesn't mean you're not in danger. Look at where we are and the capabilities of the enemy. We are in harm's way. All it takes is an order from their commander, and we're all in the middle of a war. All of us will carry a weapon and defend our base if push comes to shove. Many of us have already had that experience because times have changed. Today we are more integrated with the Army than we have been since before our separate service status in 1947. Many of us have deployed to help the Army meet the manning requirements for many of their taskings. Many of us have been shot at, mortared, rocketed, had vehicles blown out from under us by improvised explosive devices and lost friends and relatives to the enemy. I was in my tent one night when the insurgents caused an explosion at the gate. A fire fight ensued and tracer rounds were going everywhere. I had been told to defend in place if the enemy overran the base. I had my weapon charged and was waiting behind the sandbags, just like the others from my tent, for what I thought was inevitable. On another occasion, a rocket hit a trailer in our quarters area. The impact warped the doors shut and caught the trailer on fire. We couldn't get our guys out, and they died in the fire. Many of you may have similar stories. Don't tell me you're not warriors. I believe we are. If the time comes that I have to protect my country, give my life to protect yours, or put my rifle sights on an enemy and pull the trigger, I will. If it comes to it, I believe you will to. You're a warrior.