COMMENTARY>>There’s no ‘I’ in team

By Chief Master Sgt. Randy Patrick
314th Operations Group superintendent

There is no “I” in team. You may have heard this term used before, but I beg to differ.

I say there are “I’s” in team. Without two or more “I”ndividuals, you cannot have a team.

According to Webster’s desk dictionary, team is defined as: “A group of persons joined together in some action or contest.”

Every team is not always successful as you normally have a losing team such as in a sporting event. The successful or winning team is comprised of individuals who are dedicated to a cause and work together to overcome obstacles to achieve victory.

Our military is comprised of several teams that work together to meet mission objectives. Our aircraft maintenance teams provide the maintenance support to put our aircraft in the air. Our C-130 aircrew work as a team to airlift personnel and cargo to re-supply our combatant commanders and train our next generation of C-130 combat airlifters. Our medical teams work together to ensure the health of our military forces and family members. Security forces work as a team to provide security for our personnel and base infrastructure. All support organizations and many more teams do their part to complement our military teams.

All the teams comprised within our military must have one objective: to work together to maintain our nation’s security. If only one of our teams should fail, it would be an obstacle that would have to be overcome by the remaining teams in order to achieve victory.

“I” am proud to be a part of our military team. “I” took an oath of enlistment swearing “I” would support and defend our Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. “I” pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

Our Airmen’s Creed has 45 “I’s” embedded within it.

“I” say, that if anyone says to me that there is no “I” in team, I would have to say that they are wrong. “I” am on America’s Team!