Education; how will you gain the edge?

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Frank Hartnett
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The Air Force needs intelligent Airmen. More importantly, it needs Airmen who are willing to hone their skills and talents.

We have been built by a tradition of honor and a legacy of valor, but it is our ingenuity and knowledge that has brought victory when American Airmen have stepped into harm's way.

Aviation history is full of stories of men and women who have pushed machines and materials to the limit in times of peace and of war. Whether their goal was to fly around the world without refueling or to deliver a desperately needed strike to Imperial Japan from a pitching carrier deck, their common goal was the same, they sought to gain the edge.

How will you gain the edge in your own life?

How do you plan on being competitive among your fellow Airmen; how will you continue to grow within or out of the Air Force?

The tools you need are all around you and most of them are offered at no charge.

It starts with assess your own skills and your accomplishments. Are you a few credit hours shy of a CCAF degree or an associate's degree? Can you take a CLEP test to earn college credits? Are you ready to pursue an advanced academic degree? These are some of the questions that are worth asking and they are worth asking right now.

Acting now is how you gain the edge. It's easy to make excuses and to put off plans due to the operations tempo or because of deployments. It's never been easier to complete courses from a deployed location thanks to online education.

The resources available to Airmen continue to increase. Last month, President Bush signed into law the biggest overhaul of the Montgomery G. I. Bill, the largest veteran's education benefit. Starting next month, the benefits for Airmen will roughly double in value.

If the biggest hurdles between yourself and seeking an education were lack of resources or time; it's clear to see that you are running out of excuses.

So, take a lesson from history. Your own path to gain the edge may not lead you to the sandy dunes at Kitty Hawk, N.C. But, you could just wind up propelling yourself to new heights.