Yes, sadly Oates died in '82 at age 53, a year after Stripes opened in theaters. Hulka, played by the late, great Warren Oates. That's plenty of time for us to honor our favorite characters and actors from the flick before the big birthday (technically, it's June 26). Prepare your Airmen to be the Air Force leaders of tomorrow and show your commitment to mission accomplishment.Stripes, the 1981 film that made a headliner out of Bill Murray and introduced us to a big lug named John Candy, turns 30 years old this summer. Our ability and commitment to properly train, organize, and equip our Airmen to perform the mission must be unwavering.īill Murray’s offer to be the platoon’s “big toe” gets a good laugh, but the Air Force’s future success is directly dependent on today’s leaders’ commitment to developing Airmen and focus on mission accomplishment. Have you identified equipment shortfalls and the impact on the mission for not having those required items?Ĭan specialized equipment items be shared across organizations, bases, or commands? How does your big TOE stand up to Smart Ops 21?Īre there opportunities to increase the efficiency and value of your current training program?ĭo you seek training opportunities in daily operations to reduce the requirement to set aside dedicated time for training?Īre there opportunities to gain efficiency in the structure of your organization?Ĭan redundant activities be eliminated by combining similar activities into one section? Air Force Smart Ops 21 asks for us to look at our processes for value and this big TOE should be first on your list to review. Regularly check with your Airmen to see how they would answer these questions and encourage open communication for them to provide feedback as to areas of improvement. Place those actions at the top of your priority list. If there is any doubt about this question’s answer, take immediate action ensure the answer is quickly brought to a concrete “yes” across the board. It should be at the top of every Air Force leader’s priority list doing so will help constantly remind you of this question: Are my Airmen trained, organized and equipped to perform the mission? This big TOE is my way of keeping my priorities in focus. The first three words in the 1st Fighter Wing mission statement are “Train, Organize and Equip” or TOE. The “big toe” mentioned in the movie also reminds me of our responsibility to the mission. And finally, be approachable and keep your relationship strong with regular, open communication and feedback. Require subordinates to think through problems and develop proposed solutions before coming to you. Seek opportunities to cultivate leadership in those junior to you as well as empower and delegate tasks to those showing potential for greater responsibility. Set and demand high standards and hold individuals accountable for failing to perform. Leaders should not confuse this relationship with trying to be everyone’s buddy. True, the “Sergeant Hulkas” of the Air Force will not always be there to lead our troops, therefore, our commitment to developing Airmen to be the next “big toe” is vital to the future success of our great Air Force.ĭeveloping Airmen begins by establishing a relationship based on mutual trust, respect and caring. As re-enforced by our first core competency, there is nothing more important than developing and preparing Airmen for those leadership roles left open by senior members as they culminate their careers. “And Sergeant Hulka (their platoon sergeant) isn’t always gonna be there to be that big toe for us.”Īlthough intended to be humorous, his comments remind me of two essential points that members of today’s Air Force must constantly keep in focus: developing Airmen and accomplishing the mission.Īs Bill Murray’s character points out, our current leaders will not always be here, and the future leaders of the Air Force are the young Airmen joining the Air Force today. “An Army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe,” he said to his fellow Soldiers. If you have seen the movie “Stripes,” the classic comedy about the Army, you may recall the scene in which Bill Murray volunteers to lead his platoon.
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