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Be a warrior, smile and make tea

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine
  • Air Force Print News
A lot of people today are talking about us, as Airmen, being warriors.

I have family in other services and whenever we get together they always seem to tease me about being an Airman, not being a "war fighter."

This always makes me smile, because I know the truth. We are not supporting this war, we are in this war.

The truth is I am an Airman. I am the best in the world at what I do and I make my job look easier than it really is. This means, as an Airman, that I am a brilliant warrior.

You don't believe me? Let me tell you a little story.

There is an old Eastern fable about a wandering mercenary who apparently had a few too many and bumped into a tea master in the market. The mercenary became enraged and argued with the tea master, eventually challenging him to a duel to the death to recover his lost honor. They would battle at dawn.

The tea master was afraid and didn't know what to do. He couldn't run away but he didn't know how to fight. So, he invited the local samurai to his home to ask for help.

When the samurai arrived, the tea master made him a "proper" tea. The proper making of tea involves an incredibly precise ceremony. In fact, to be a tea master takes years of diligent practice to perform the proper making of tea in this ceremony.

The samurai sat and watched the tea master work with surgical precision. He saw his focus, his determination. He watched the tea master perform perfectly. He made it look easy.

After serving the tea, the tea master asked the samurai for help with the mercenary, maybe to intervene on his behalf.

Without hesitating, the samurai told the tea master there was only one thing he needed to do. At dawn, he must face the mercenary. He must face him and fight him with the same focus and purpose that he had used in making the tea. If he did that, he would be victorious.

As the sun rose the next morning, the mercenary walked into the market to see the tea master already waiting. The tea master drew his sword and stood firm to fight.

Seeing his focus and determination, the mercenary trembled. He dropped to one knee and apologized to the tea master and begged for his forgiveness.

What does that mean? How does it apply to you?

We are Airmen. Every one of us is literally the best in the world at what we do. In fact, we are so good at what we do that we make it look easy. And, the truth is that the media doesn't like running stories about things that look easy.

But remember, Airmen, while you are making it look easy, that Sun Tzu once wrote,

A warrior wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

Hence, the skilful warrior puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

What the ancients called a brilliant warrior is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

This is what it means to be a warrior, an Airman. This is who we are and we must embrace our warrior heritage.

So when you hear someone say that you aren't a warrior or your Air Force job isn't a warrior's role, smile. Laugh even. Because now you too know the truth. Every one of us makes up the greatest Air Force this Earth has every seen. We are all an integral part of our warrior caste and mission success.

Feel free to educate those who doubt we are warriors, because our enemies have already learned this truth the hard way.