Commentary: Don't miss out on an opportunity

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Charles Price
  • 377th Mission Support Group
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Here I am, standing, frozen still, saluting, my mind wandering. The familiar sound of the National Anthem, Taps or Reveille is echoing in the background. I've been through this ritual countless times, but every time is a unique reflection. I wonder what others reflect on, or if they miss an opportunity.

I sometimes think about the first time I heard this music, a time when I felt a million miles from home. I often recall the time I stood on the parking apron at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on a cold evening in January 2012.

A blustery wind was whipping down the ramp as I peered down two long columns of troops from every service and many countries. I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my brothers in arms as we loaded three f lag draped caskets of my close friends onto a C-130 for their final voyage home.

In some cases, I think back to my walk through Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. I had my best friend's 3-year-old son on my shoulders, who didn't fully understand the gravity of the trip we had taken together from RAF Lakenheath. The next day, we would attend his father's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

I often use this time of mental solitude to reflect on my brothers and sisters who are still out in the fight. I wonder what they are doing and what hardships they are experiencing while I am standing here in silence.

I think of those who have just set out on their rotation. I'm afforded an amazing opportunity to reflect on the unbelievable people I've met, an opportunity provided by the military's time-honored traditions of Reveille, Retreat and Taps.

This month, we take time to reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the tragedies at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. We also dedicated Sept. 20 to remember those who have fought to defend our country's freedoms with National POW/MIA Recognition Day. There is no better time than during Reveille, Retreat and Taps to make an extra effort to remember and reflect on sacrifices made by others, our nation's heroes who knew the hostility of war and the anguish of captivity, and others who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.

I have deep feelings on the traditions of Reveille, Retreat and Taps.

These traditions are an opportunity to pay respect to the f lag and to reflect on those who make our way of life possible. I want to believe all of us at Kirtland feel as strongly as I do, but there are those who feel these customs are just barriers between them and their way home at the end of the duty day.

I choose instead to see it as an opportunity. We are all busy, but I encourage you to use Reveille, Retreat and Taps as an opportunity to stop and reflect on what is really important. Few jobs afford you the time to do so.

If you tell yourself, "I'm only three steps from the car," and climb in during those moments, you've missed an opportunity.

Whether you're outside or in your car on base, take the opportunity to stop your car, turn off the radio and reflect. There is no AFI or regulation that covers what you need to think about, so make it count.

Don't miss any more opportunities.