"As I sit here on my first furlough day, I have the opportunity to think about what has occurred in the country I’ve dedicated my entire life to serving. Am I concerned about losing 20 percent of my pay for 10 weeks? You bet. I have bills like everyone else, but we’ll get through that. What I really feel is disappointment — disappointment in my government’s leadership. The president and the Congress — both liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican — have let us down.
...I can remember when the Air Force first put our “core values” in writing. My commander made everyone in our squadron memorize them and recite them from memory. I thought this was a waste of time. But since then I have realized that those short few phrases are much more than words; they describe what and who we are. “Integrity first.” “Service before self.” “Excellence in all we do.” Those words guided me as I rose through the ranks. Today I’m concerned that they do not have the same meaning to our current leaders..."
THE WASHINGTON POST: What happened to ‘service before self’?
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