Posted on Oct 30, 2013
MSgt Edbm, Section Chief
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Out of our three core values:
Integrity First
Service Before Self
Excellence in all we do
Which one do you think is the most important?  I myself believe that they are all equally important because to me they are like the perfect circle.  If your not excellent in all you do then perhaps you won't always have integrity?  If you put yourself before service how can you be excellent? How about even if you have integrity what if you still fail to meet the excellence inside you.  What is your take?
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Responses: 4
SrA Public Affairs Specialist
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Sir, the 3rd AF command chief, CMSgt. Mark Marson once told me during an interview, that if you dig deep enough, you can find guidance in every core value even if it is not stated clearly.

Each core value reflects upon itself, coming full circle--they are all equally important. An intelligent argument can be made for all three, but in retrospect you'll realize that there is no singularly important core value. 
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MSgt Robert Mik
MSgt Robert Mik
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I’ve served with CMSgt Marson back when he was a SSgt. Since his retirement does anyone know where he is? His wife is german and he’s always made it back to Germany to serve. I’m pretty sure he’s a GS or analyst but don’t know for sure. Does anyone have contact with him? I’ve love to reconnect with him.
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SrA Cyber Transport Technician
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Integrity First is certainly the most important.  That's why they placed it first.  Someone who is honest, mindful of others, and an all-around good person is a value to the Air Force, and the Armed Forces as a whole.  They are the epitome of what our military should represent.  Trust me, I would take an Airman with integrity before I take an Airman with the other Core Values any day.

The second core value is one I don't even consider official.  If Service Before Self held true, then awards and incentives would be pointless.  Those are entirely self-motivated concepts.  I've seen Airmen one day point out Service Before Self, then the next day,  throw someone under the bus to get that EPR/award bullet.  Our entire promotion/award system is based on making yourself look good.  It just helps if you make the Air Force look good too.  So I find this one to be the least important, by how often it is broken.

And lastly, Excellence in All We Do holds the middle-ground for me.  I don't necessarily believe we should be excellent in everything we do.  Rather, we should focus on excelling in things that matter.  For example, I would not expect a communications Airman to perform a medical job without error, nor would I expect a medical Airman to maintain a base network on his/her own.  But perhaps I'm thinking of this a bit too broadly.  I do think we should strive to be the best we can be, but I can't expect anyone to be excellent in all they do.

This is all just my opinion of course.  I'm sure other people have differing views.  I'd certainly be interested in hearing them as well.
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SSgt Auto Total Loss Claims Associate
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To me, Integrity First (odd how they put that one first). If you have no integrity, how can you be selfless enough to put your task before your own wants? If you have no integrity, how will you be excellent in all you do? You must have the integrity to be a strong, competent airman willing to do whatever it takes to improve their fellow airmen, as well as themselves.
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