The new ACE

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Adam Borgman
  • Airmen Committed to Excellence president
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  In this ever-slimming Air Force, we see force reductions in many different ways. To succeed, we must thrive in our jobs and as Airmen.

We should strengthen our force by highlighting members who rise above others. As Airmen, we are not afforded many opportunities to put ourselves out there and show everyone what we can do.

The new Airmen Committed to Excellence committee is not just another Airman's council that asks the leadership organizations, "What can you do for us?" Instead, we ask them, "What can we do for you?"

As the ACE president, I am leading the implementation of an agenda for the ACE committee. This agenda is known as SCALE: service, community, activities, leadership and education. These five tenets represent what is necessary for today's Airmen to SCALE our way to the top 1 percent.

The concept of this agenda was created by me and the executive council of Hurlburt Airman's Voice at my last duty station, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The agenda speaks for itself from the results of just a few programs: raising more than $3,500 at a carwash benefitting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, reading more than 1,000,000 pages at the Child Development Center, and planning events with local committees, including one of the top 10 pirate festivals in the Southeast U.S. For this festival, Hurlburt Airman's Voice organized more than 250 volunteers to man the event.

When there is something that can be done, whether it's a community service project, sporting activity, or any fun or productive idea, ACE is creating relationships with people and organizations around the base and outside the gate.

With this plan, we are not asking to lead all the programs that come up. We are actually saying we want to assist anyone who wants to spearhead or lead their own program. We can be a tool for networking, planning or just moral support. It may sound corny, but the SCALE agenda is like the slogan of a popular home improvement store, "You can do it, we can help."

With that being said, we are not looking for you to spend all of your time at Kunsan working on side projects or being volunteer of the year. Even being in charge of organizing these projects, there is plenty of time to go out on the weekends and relax.

Don't get stuck on the "college life experience" Kunsan is so well known for. Let's stand out and make a difference.

Someone from our ranks will become the chief master sergeant of the Air Force someday. With the advancement of opportunities today, it is becoming harder and harder to stand out from your peers. So take that next step and think outside of the box.

I encourage everyone to get involved. If we don't take advantage of all the opportunities, they will soon be gone. The future is NOW, not tomorrow and not when you finally get a line number. In today's Air Force, "Today is tomorrow."