The Mentors were privileged to hear the words of wisdom of LTGEN SALVADOR MELCHOR B MISON JR AFP, Vice Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines during his Farewell Visit at the Air Education, Training and Doctrine Command this morning.
After flying the T-41 trainer aircraft for the last time as a military aviator, LTGEN MISON, a member of PMA "Maharlika" Class of 1984, together with his Mistahs, stood in front of the men and women of AETDC headed by its Commander, BGEN JOSELITO B RAMOS AFP and imparted his inspiring principles.
His speech, which captured the attention and hearts of everyone present went:
“We are a product of our past. We are here because of the past.
Siguro may tamang ginawa noon kung bakit ganito yung AETDC ngayon. Naging Model Base for whatever reason. Siguro may tamang ginawa yung mga opisyal na dumaan dito. And it is a product of the old days, the whole effort of everybody.
Before I leave, I want to impart a few wisdom, a few bits of wisdom lalo na sa mga opisyal, mga piloto.
There are no rotten units. There are only rotten Officers. Sa mga SO (Student Officers), you will be pilots of the Philippine Air Force. You will be flying our planes and would be serving the country. Be a good Officer. Pangit man ang unit, gagaling yan pag magaling ang Officer.
Be an Officer of character, competence and commitment. Stay committed because leading men and serving the country is a privilege. Hindi makukuha ng silbilyan yan. That is our privilege and you’d better stay committed. Of course, you do your job and be competent. It’s not enough that you’re just an Officer. You have to better be better than yourself. And finally, character. Character is the value that we should have as Officers of the Philippine Air Force. This is a training institution, lahat ng sundalo at opisyal dadaan dito. NCO School, BMTS, Flying School, PAFOS, everything is here.
Two factors influence a person: temperament, and character. Temperament is hereditary. You get it from your genes. But character is shaped by the family, by the community and by training institutions. This is where we shape character of the Air Force. You grow and shape the character of the soldiers and Officers of the Air Force. Shape them to become men of value, men of integrity. Para pag inisip ng anak natin kung ano ang integrity at fairness, they will think of their fathers and they will think of their mothers. And that is your role here in AETDC.
And finally as an organization, I challenge everyone to remain stewards of our profession. Sinabi ko nga na serving the country, leading men is a privilege. Meaning to say, you maintain the standards. Alam na natin kung ano ang tama. The difficult part is doing what is right. Continue to cultivate the ties that bind us together. One that binds us together is passing through the same school, passing through the same training, having these champagne flights. Cultivate those binds.
And number three, there should be no compromise on values. Values of Integrity, Service, Teamwork, Honor and Patriotism should always be there. As an organization, be stewards of our profession. Mamahalin na natin ang pagiging sundalo. Minsan lang ito. Pag minahal natin ang ating gawain, madali na lang. It brings all perfection in what we do. Once you believe in your conviction and stay committed, it brings perfection to what we do."
LTGEN MISON was the 14th Commander of Air Education and Training Command, a great motivator, leader and influencer.
Photos courtesy of AETDC PIO
