This lesson will give you an in-depth view of USAF and CAP Core Values. It will start with definitions of each core value and how you can apply them in your daily lives and conclude with a look at how a great American used them in defending his nation.

The Core Values represent the baseline of moral character expected of all Air Force and Civil Air Patrol personnel. They are not a list of lofty ideals you are supposed to shoot for some day in the future. Rather, they are the standards of behavior you need to embrace and live by on a day-to-day basis.

CAP's core values essentially mirror the U.S. Air Force core values of integrity, excellence in all we do and service before self. CAP and the Air Force share the core values of integrity and excellence but because of the volunteer nature of CAP's humanitarian missions, the Air Force core value of "service before self" was inherently included in CAP's core value of "volunteer service." The national board, recognizing the need for our diverse membership to treat each other with fairness and dignity, added the core value of respect.

Let’s look at each of these values and briefly define them.

Integrity is a character trait. It is the willingness to do what is right even when no one is looking.

Integrity is the very fiber of all core values, without it all other core values cannot prevail. It is the cornerstone for all that is moral and just in our society. It is more than simple honesty. It embraces other attributes such as courage, responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect, and humility. Practically, it involves keeping commitments, being sincere, being honest in word and deed, and expecting the same of others. Integrity also involves accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and being a morally upright person. Former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles A. Gabriel said, "Integrity is the fundamental premise of service in a free society. Without integrity, the moral pillars of our military strength--public trust and self-respect--are lost."

Integrity ordinarily means forthright honesty. It means being the kind of person others can rely on for accurate, complete, and timely disclosure of facts. All of this is true but as a moral ideal, integrity demands more than being the kind of person who can be counted on to tell the truth. Integrity also demands we be persons of good character. This, in fact, is the original sense of the word "integrity" as "integratedness," "wholeness," or "wholesomeness."

The following quote is from an article by former Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila Widnall, and former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald Fogleman:

The Air Force has a similar value called "service before self." We embrace this core value and reflect it in our spirit of volunteerism. It is the willingness and ability to give of oneself, sometimes at the ultimate sacrifice of life. Also, it goes beyond simply giving our time; it extends to the willingness to obey the rules and regulations of CAP, the Air Force and our nation. Ultimately, it means we must have respect for fellow members and practice self-discipline.

To serve is to satisfy the needs or requirements of an organization and, in the case of the CAP, it is to render service to one’s nation. A fundamental part of serving involves following rules, showing respect for others, and enforcing discipline and self-control. As a volunteer force, it is especially important that each member internalize these character traits in order to ensure success.

The moral ideal, however, demands more than obedience. Service also demands that members always serve out of respect for human dignity. Service means duty, and duty means respect and dignity, and we must always keep that foremost in our actions.

On a more practical level, one traditional aspect of the CAP drives home the concept of service: wearing the CAP uniform and what it represents. One might say that in a war, uniforms help separate friend from foe and help me focus on who is a legitimate target for my weapons. Uniform wear in a war also helps to separate soldiers from civilians and again, helps me to focus on legitimate targets. Identification with my fellow professionals may help me feel a legitimate part of the military team and the uniform is the obvious visible evidence of this. But most importantly the uniform signifies that the wearer is a member of a professional organization and reinforces the notion that here is a person dedicated to service before self.

This challenges us to develop a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation to enable the CAP to grow and flourish in serving America’s humanitarian needs.

We should always be in continual pursuit of excellence; there is no room for the "good enough" mentality in the CAP. Good enough is never good enough and anything less violates the sacred trust the Amercement public has placed in us.

Excellence ordinarily means accomplishing the mission well and that’s a good place to start breaking down this concept. In the CAP, the nature of our mission demands we must focus on the results and get the job done right the first time and on time. Mission failure can have disastrous consequences and must not be tolerated.

As a moral ideal, however, excellence demands more than mission accomplishment. To excel is to surpass, to go beyond what is expected and we must constantly strive for such results. Brigadier General (Ret.) Malham M Wakin, wrote in an article on AF Core Values,

This quote is from a commentary by Secretary of the Air Force, Sheila Widnall, and Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald Fogleman:

Genuine respect involves viewing another person as an individual of fundamental worth. Obviously, this means that a person is never judged on the basis of his/her possession of an attritional that places him or her in some racial, ethic, economic, or gender-based category.

Working hand in glove with respect is that attitude which says that all co-workers are "innocent until proven guilty." Before rushing to judgement about a person or his/her behavior, it is important to have the whole story.

The effectiveness of any organization is greatly dependent upon the environment in which people work. We must create an atmosphere in the CAP where mutual respect abounds, making way for prosperity, innovation and excellence in serving this great nation.

Captain Lance P. Sijan , a Medal of Honor recipient and a Prisoner of War in Vietnam who paid the ultimate price by dying in captivity, represents an example of an airman who lived the Core Values. He may not have thought of them as "Core Values," but compare his actions to the list of Core Values and you’ll be able to identify them. Click on his name to read the citation.

Core values are of utmost importance to everyone. The only thing of more importance is what our nation values the most - you, the citizen volunteers in service to America. It is through your actions that others see the embodiment of all of our core values. Semper vigilans!

Additional Readings on Core Values

Developing Leaders of Character
 Dr. James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force
 Remarks to the 10th Annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, U.S. Air Force Academy, Feb. 27, 2003

Everyone Needs Core Values, Mentors  Address to Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets, Lexington, Va., Nov. 16, 2000 by Gen Hal Hornburg, AETC Commander 

Hometown values reflect core values
By Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray
US Air Force Policy Digest January 2003

Essays, Guides and Articles on Core Values