CONCEPT: USAF and CAP Core Values

APPROXIMATE TIME: 1 hour

1. Discuss the origin of Air Force and CAP Core Values (knowledge)
2. Identify Air Force and CAP Core Values (knowledge)
3. Describe core values’ cultural importance to the Civil Air Patrol (comprehension)
4. Apply knowledge and understanding of core values through use of case studies (application)

SUGGESTED MATERIALS:

No additional materials are required. Refer to the Instructor Information   link in the User's Guide for the basic materials to teach a class.

The Core Values represent the baseline of moral character expected of all Air Force and Civil Air Patrol personnel. They are not a list of lofty ideals you are supposed to shoot for some day in the future. Rather, they are the standards of behavior you need to embrace and live by on a day-to-day basis.

CAP's core values essentially mirror the U.S. Air Force core values of integrity, excellence in all we do and service before self. CAP and the Air Force share the core values of integrity and excellence but because of the volunteer nature of CAP's humanitarian missions, the Air Force core value of "service before self" was inherently included in CAP's core value of "volunteer service." The national board, recognizing the need for our diverse membership to treat each other with fairness and dignity, added the core value of respect.

This lesson will define each of the Air Force and CAP Core Values using definitions from the Air Force Core Values book and an article written by the CAP National Commander. It includes quotes from prominent Department of Defense and Air Force personnel to add credibility to the lesson. The lesson continues with the Medal of Honor Citation for Capt Lance Sijan to drive home the practical application of Core Values. It concludes with a few case studies (below) from actual recent events illustrating how Core Values are or aren’t applied in our daily activities.

PURPOSE/RATIONALE: The purpose of this lesson is identify and define Air Force and CAP Core Values and explain their relevance to the new CAP member.

1. Discuss CAP Core Values using definitions as framework. Break down each definition into practical pieces and elaborate on meaning/intentions and importance to CAP
2. Review Capt Lance P. Sijan Medal of Honor citation for application of Core Values.
3. Use the following case studies to further delve into application of core values.

Attention Step: (Slide 1) The Core Values represent the baseline of moral character expected of all Air Force and Civil Air Patrol personnel. They are not a list of lofty ideals you are supposed to shoot for some day in the future. Rather, they are the standards of behavior you need to embrace and live by on a day-to-day basis.

Main Point 1: (Slide 2) Integrity is the very fiber of all core values, without it all other core values cannot prevail. It is the cornerstone for all that is moral and just in our society. It is more than simple honesty. It embraces other attributes such as courage, responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect, and humility. Practically it involves keeping commitments, being sincere, being honest in word and deed and expecting the same of others, accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and being a morally upright person. Former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles A. Gabriel said, "Integrity is the fundamental premise of service in a free society. Without integrity, the moral pillars of our military strength--public trust and self-respect--are lost."

The Air Force has a similar value called "service before self." We embrace this core value and reflect it in our spirit of volunteerism. It is the willingness and ability to give of oneself, sometimes at the ultimate sacrifice of life. Also, it goes beyond simply giving our time; it extends to the willingness to obey the rules and regulations of CAP, the Air Force and our nation. Ultimately, it means we must have respect for fellow members and practice self-discipline.

Main Point 1: (Slide 3) Excellence ordinarily means accomplishing the mission well and that’s a good place to start breaking down this concept. In the CAP, the nature of our mission demands we must focus on the results and get the job done right the first time and on time. Mission failure can have disastrous consequences and must not be tolerated.

Brigadier General (Ret.) Malham M Wakin, wrote in an article on AF Core Values; "Why strive for excellence, anyway? One answer to that question may seem wonderfully simple, perhaps some would rather I said "simple minded." If I settle for less than my best effort, then I must live with less than my best self, and I won't then like myself very much. I shall fall short of the kind of being I could have become; I may even be what modern psychiatrists suggest is very unhealthy--I may be ashamed of what I become."

Genuine respect involves viewing another person as an individual of fundamental worth. Obviously, this means that a person is never judged on the basis of his/her possession of an attritibute that places him or her in some racial, ethic, economic, or gender-based category.

Main Point 2: (Slide 4) On 9 November 1967, while on a flight over North Vietnam, Captain Sijan ejected from his disabled aircraft and successfully evaded capture for more than 6 weeks. During this time, he was seriously injured and suffered from shock and extreme weight loss due to lack of food. After being captured by North Vietnamese soldiers, Captain Sijan was taken to a holding point for subsequent transfer to a Prisoner of War camp. In his emaciated and crippled condition, he overpowered one of his guards and he crawled into the jungle, only to be recaptured after several hours. He was then transferred to another prison camp where he was kept in solitary confinement and interrogated at length.

During his interrogation, he was severely tortured; however, he did not divulge any information to his captors. Captain Sijan lapsed into delirium and was placed in the care of another prisoner, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Craner, to care for him. During Captain Sijan’s intermittent periods of consciousness until his death, he never complained of his physical condition and, on several occasions, spoke of future escape attempts. Due to his extreme weakness, adverse living conditions, insufficient clothing, and an inadequate diet, Captain Sijan contracted pneumonia on 18 January 1968. Removed from his cell on 21 January 1968, he died at the Hoa Loa prison camp, as reported by his Vietnamese captors.

Main Point 3: (Slide 5)

When "Brown" was a second lieutenant and knew almost nothing about the Air Force, he requested his first official leave. He dutifully filled out the leave request form, his commander gladly signed it and, when the approved time came, Brown took 18 days of well-deserved leave.

Second Lieutenant Brown was completely unaware, however, that he was supposed to sign more paperwork when he returned from his vacation. Three weeks after his return, Brown was tracked down by the unit administrative clerk, who politely but firmly directed him to complete this post-leave paperwork, which Brown promptly did after apologizing for being a "dumb lieutenant."

Eight months later, Brown was scanning his most recent Leave and Earning Statement (LES) when he noticed he had more leave days credited to his balance than he thought he merited. As a wave of fear crossed his mind, he pulled out every LES for the past eight months and realized the 18 days were never deducted. He suspected this problem was caused by his inadvertent failure to complete the post-leave paperwork in the time required. His ignorance caused him to be late; and because he was late, the paperwork fell through the cracks, and he wasn’t charged for the leave.

In other words, because of something he did, he had 18 extra days of leave--days that could be sold back to the government for thousands of dollars when he eventually retired from the service. That is to say, because of something he did, he was in possession of something valuable that properly belonged to his employer, and he had a strong obligation to give (not sell) it back.

"Isn’t this stealing?" he asked himself, "and isn’t it a felony to steal something worth thousands of dollars? I should have noticed this 8 months ago. No one will now believe this was an honest mistake, so I better not tell anyone what’s happened." That was eleven years ago. Today, Brown is a senior captain on the promotion list for major, and he is currently serving as a squadron commander. Those 18 days are still credited to his balance, and he feels guilty about it.

1. Which Core Values, if any, come into play here?

2. Which Core Values, if any, were violated and what would have been the proper course of action?

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) "Maple" works in the Tool Issue Section of the Base Services Store. Maple’s job is to "sell" equipment to authorized customers by deducting the cost of each item from the customer’s unit budget. The budget is established at the beginning of the fiscal year based on the unit’s mission and past tool consumption rates. A shopping authorization letter must be signed by the unit commander and on file in the Base Services Store before a person can be allowed to make a "purchase." But this isn’t the end of the story. The customer’s commander must specify by category what a person is authorized to buy. Some are authorized to buy tools only; some just can buy general (office) supplies; and some can buy both.

One particular day two customers from the same unit walk in and start selecting several tools. Maple knows both of them well because they are regular customers. One of these customers is a technical sergeant (TSgt) who is constantly buying tools for his work center, which has a heavy maintenance mission. The other person is a senior master sergeant (SMSgt) who is the First Sergeant for the same unit, where he works in the command administrative section. The SMSgt announces that he is buying a small assortment of tools because he doesn’t want to call the civil engineers every time the commander complains about a leaky faucet.

Maple takes care of the TSgt first, and then proceeds to ring up the SMSgt’s purchases. The check out system is automated, and it gives Maple a negative response when the SMSgt’s name, unit, and social security number are typed in. The computer tells Maple that the SMSgt is authorized to purchase general office supplies, but not tools. The SMSgt tells Maple there must be some kind of mistake because he purchased tools the previous week. Maple has a vague recollection of that purchase, but no matter what he does (such as checking files, looking for supplemented letters, etc.) he cannot confirm the SMSgt has ever had authorization to buy tools.

To hurry things along, the TSgt offers to buy the tools for the SMSgt. "Great idea," says the SMSgt to Maple, "just ring me up on his account. It’s for the same squadron."

1. Which Core Values, if any, come into play here?

2. Which Core Values, if any, were violated and what would have been the proper course of action?

Master Sergeant (MSgt) "Ponderosa" and Sergeant (Sgt) "Mesquite" have been attending the same formal retraining course for the past five weeks. Having been in the Air Force for quite a while, Ponderosa is by no means happy to be retraining into a new career field. He liked his old career field just fine; he knew the technical data and was deeply familiar with its processes and procedures. Sgt Mesquite, on the other hand, is excited about retraining. She never did like her old career field, and she is now eager to learn new things and gain skills that may be useful in the civilian sector.

Ponderosa can’t stand Mesquite. He can’t help but notice that the instructors teaching the retraining course tend to gravitate toward her during breaks, and they joke around with her during class. "The reasons are obvious," Ponderosa frequently mumbles to himself, "she is very attractive and nicely fills out her uniforms. Besides, she has a "bubbly" personality and the instructors can’t help flirting with her. Makes me want to puke."

On one particular Friday afternoon, the class is reviewing the previous week’s work in preparation for an ‘end-of-block’ test they will take the following Monday. Things have ground to a halt while Mesquite interrupts the instructor with a couple of jokes that break up the whole class. Almost immediately the class is side tracked as the instructor goes off on a tangent telling war stories and flirting with Mesquite.

As this ‘fooling around’ continued, Ponderosa gets madder and madder. He had found the week’s material quite difficult to grasp, and now she is robbing him of valuable review time. After about 15 minutes Ponderosa can’t take any more. "Listen, Mesquite, will you just shut the _**** up so the rest of us can learn this stuff?!"

1. Which Core Values, if any, come into play here?

2. Which Core Values, if any, were violated and what would have been the proper course of action?

Summary: (Slide 6) Core values are of utmost importance to everyone. The only thing of more importance is what our nation values the most - you, the citizen volunteers in service to America. It is through your actions that others see the embodiment of all of our core values. Semper vigilans!