“Success” comes before work in one place only

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. Edward L. Bolton, Jr.
  • Commander, 45 Space Wing
I learned a long, long time ago that the only place where "success" comes before "work" is in the dictionary. And that¹s why we continue to train and to exercise our capabilities every chance we get. 

The best processes in the world still remain imperfect and there is always room for improvement. Our checklists are vital to our operations and to our security; they are the standards we all must adhere to. Equally vital is our ingenuity and our ability to go beyond the standard when faced with opposition; they are the character traits we all must hold true to.

That is what these exercises are all about  - our ability to act under pressure. And I'm sure you felt the pressure this week. And there¹s only more to come. Welcome to the world in which we live.

Sure, we are doing all this to get ready for the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. But most importantly we are practicing readiness more often and more realistically to ultimately ensure our people are safe and that we can carry on the mission regardless of what may happen down the road.

Remember, the day that we stop training and brainstorming for what may happen tomorrow, our enemies gain a possible edge - an opportunity if you will; one that they are more than willing to exploit. Don't ever let that happen. 

If the exercise this week made you sweat -­ that¹s a good thing. If it showed you where you or your unit is vulnerable - that¹s a good thing. If it made you work longer hours and pushed you beyond your limits - that¹s a good thing. If it increased your readiness - well then that¹s a great thing and we met our objective. And no IG rating can measure that.

As basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell once said "it seems the harder I work the luckier I get." But there¹s nothing "lucky" about being prepared and there¹s nothing "lucky" about being thorough. We make our own luck around here through hard work and dedication. Trust me, readiness is much more powerful than any four-leafed clover. Keep up the hard work; it's paying off. 

Thanks again for all you do.