Commentary: What I Learned about the big picture in 48-hours

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jim Lovewell
  • 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  As I woke up early this past Friday morning, my thoughts were consumed with a number of 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron challenges that had filled the past week.

Try as I might, I couldn't stop thinking about them. It was 3:30 a.m., and I wasn't going to get back to sleep. I instead decided to finish reading the book, "A Wing and a Prayer" by Harry H. Crosby, a B-17 'Flying Fortress' Navigator in the 100th Bomb Group based out of East Anglia during World War II.

The stories of heroism, adventure and sacrifice were fascinating, and seemed to take me a world away from the relatively small things which had consumed my waking thoughts.

"I wish I could have been there," I thought; what a fascinating time to serve. I then headed out to run in a light rain along the dirt farm roads near the base. On the run I turned off my usual companion, my trusty MP3 player, and just thought.

That reflection brought me to the realization that I'm already on a big adventure - along with all of you stationed here - helping write the history of the 100th Air Refueling wing and its partner units, and forging partnerships with our friends in the U.K. and Europe.

I realized that although the things I'd been thinking about when I awoke were still important, I had lost sight of the bigger picture.

"Wing and a Prayer" really spoke to me Friday morning. Just the week before I had been given two family pictures of my grandfather who flew reconnaissance missions for 8th Air Force bombers and who was based in East Anglia from 1944 to 1945.

The pictures gave me an even greater connection with the book and reminded me of the stories my grandfather told me as a child - the people he met, the places he'd been, the camaraderie he enjoyed flying alongside friends and allies. He said focusing on the big picture, it was the things in his life that kept him going after the really tough missions over Germany had shaken him and his crewmembers.

Reading "A Wing and a Prayer", reflecting on my grandfather's pictures and several other events over the last two days since my early Friday morning wake-up challenged me to reflect on the big picture.

First, LRS bade farewell to the five Croatian military members we'd hosted over the previous four days under a Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe program to provide base logistics tours and inter-cultural exchange.

We learned a great deal about their nation, military, and logistics processes. One particularly memorable event was a bowling match with our guests and the LRS logistics readiness officers.

Bowling has little to do with logistics, but I'm sure the short time we spent laughing and, in my case, attempting to bowl, will be long-remembered by both parties. I may never have another opportunity to visit with my Croatian friends, but the time we spent left me with a new appreciation for their country, its culture and our commitment to building partnerships.

Next, our Squadron's Honorary Commander, Mr Hamish Ross, his wife Joy and daughter Olivia were so kind to take our family to "Trooping the Colour" in London - the British military parade marking the Queen's birthday.

While enjoying the stunning show of military precision, great company and cool weather, I received an e-mail from Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Hawks, 100th LRS first sergeant, currently deployed in Iraq.

He talked about how satisfying it was to visit his unit's Airmen on the front lines, Air Force Security Forces members, passing out words of encouragement and popsicles in the dusty 115-degree Iraq heat.

That's Shirt - putting others first and having a blast doing the mission - I knew too that he'd probably be putting in a 16- to 18-hour shift by the time he called it a day. It was great to hear from him, and I'm so grateful for the sacrifices he and our other deployed members are making at present - another reminder of how fortunate I was to enjoy the wonderful time I was now having in downtown London.

The last reminder of keeping a 'big picture' focus came as a real shock. I received word one of the Air Force ROTC cadets I'd worked closely with several years ago when I was an instructor had passed away late last week.

Media reports indicate 1st Lt Joel Gentz, a combat rescue officer, was performing a rescue mission on a helicopter in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked from the ground with rocket-propelled grenades.

I'd worked with him over a two-month period at Ellsworth Air Force Base when Joel was a third year cadet, and along with 28 of his peers, we trained 500 second-year cadets at AFROTC Field Training.

You get to know people well when you work alongside them 18-hours a day, seven days a week for six weeks.

Joel was a fine officer whose infectious positive attitude and professionalism will be sorely missed by all who knew him. I'd thought about e-mailing those 29 cadet trainers, now all first lieutenants and captains, but never got around to doing so because I was busy with other things.

I wished I'd had one more opportunity to share with Joel how proud I was of the job he'd done when we worked together and that he'd achieved his dream of becoming a combat rescue officer.

Well, that's how I went from waking up early this past Friday morning thinking about many small things to 48 hours later having a new appreciation for the big picture.

The work issues are still important, and they will be waiting for me Monday morning, but I believe this week I'm going to take a little more time to think, a little more time to reflect on how lucky I am to be at Mildenhall, living in East Anglia, surrounded by friends, family and co-workers.

Every day is a gift. My grandfather was right - you really have to keep the big picture in perspective.