DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)

Maxwell AFB, AL 36118

1 Oct 13

NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER ACADEMY

STUDENT GUIDE
PART I
COVER SHEET
LESSON TITLE: MP03, AIR FORCE CULTURE AND HERITAGE
TIME: 7 Hours
METHOD: Informal Lecture/Guided Discussion/Experiential
REFERENCES:
Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, 1 December 2009.
Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force
Personnel, 1 March 2013.
Air Force Manual (AFMAN) 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies, June 1996.
STUDENT PREPARATION:
1. Read the student guide (2,278 words, approximately 20 minutes)
2. Review AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel and
AFMAN 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies.
PART IA
GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOME: Students who graduate from the NCOA are
better prepared to model professional military attributes, as evidenced by their
comprehension of Air Force culture.
SUPPORTED COMPETENCIES/DIRECTIVES:
The Ethical Leadership lesson supports the following AF Institutional Competency:
1. Embodies Airman Culture Warrior Ethos
The Ethical Leadership lesson provides information necessary to effectively execute the
assigned responsibilities in AFI 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure.
The Ethical Leadership lesson supports the Air Force Core Values
TERMINAL COGNITIVE OBJECTIVE: Comprehend the impact of Air Force Culture
and Heritage on NCO, unit, and mission effectiveness.
TERMINAL COGNITIVE SAMPLES OF BEHAVIOR:
1. Explain how Air Force Culture and Heritage impacts NCO, unit, and mission
effectiveness.

2. Give examples of how Air Force Culture and Heritage impacts NCO, unit, and
mission effectiveness.
3. Predict the impact of how Air Force Culture and Heritage impacts NCO, unit, and
mission effectiveness.
AFFECTIVE OBJECTIVE: Value Air Force Air Force Culture and Heritage

PART IB
ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Topical
LESSON OUTLINE:
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION: Attention, Motivation, and Overview
MP 1. Air Force Culture and Heritage
MP 2. Uniform Inspection/Flag Ceremony Training
MP 3. Uniform Inspection/Flag Ceremony Performance
CONCLUSION: Summary, Remotivation, and Closure

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PART II
STUDENT READING
The Air Force Culture lesson is a 6-hour block of instruction that focuses on the role Air
Force culture plays in supporting our military professionalism. You will have the
opportunity to demonstrate Air Force culture by participating in flag ceremonies, and
uniform inspections. Additionally, we will discuss such areas as dress and personal
appearance standards, and two distinct flag ceremonies, reveille/retreat.
The following resources will assist you as we travel through the areas of this lesson.
AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel:
http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI36-2903.pdf
AFMAN 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies:
http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/etc/AFMAN36-2203.pdf
AIR FORCE CULTURE AND HERITAGE
As NCOs, we belong to a unique culture that defines and shapes our membership in the
profession of arms. The Air Force has a rich, distinct culture that is very distinct from
other services. It is neither better nor worse, only different and is developed naturally from
its historic origins.1 It is the process of understanding these origins and key elements of
our culture, Airmen can recognize the valid reasons for these differences.
An understanding of the Air Force culture can help the NCO explain many of the current
beliefs, actions and roles that determines the success of the military organization as a
whole. Can you imagine dedicating your life to anything without first understanding what
it stands for and where it originated?
As the soil, however rich it may be, cannot
be productive without cultivation, so the mind
without culture can never produce good
fruit.
- Seneca, Roman philosopher

Fig 1, Seneca

Culture and Heritage

To understand the Air Force culture, it is first necessary to understand what culture is.
The Merriam-Websters Dictionary defines culture as the integrated pattern of human
knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon mans capacity for learning and

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transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations or the set of shared attitudes, values,

goals, and practices that characterizes a company or an organization.2
What is the difference between heritage and culture? Merriam-Websters Dictionary
defines heritage as something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor or property
that descends to an heir.3
If you can understand these two concepts as a whole, you may begin to get a clearer
picture as to why our Air Force heritage and culture are so valuable to our organization.
Air Force in the Profession of Arms
The Air Force profession is nested within the American Profession of Arms. The larger
profession comprises the professions of the individual Services: the Army, Marine Corps,
Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The Air Forces culture expresses its traditions and
history, norms of conduct, and guiding values and standards. These have evolved over a
century of operations in peace and war dating back to August 1, 1907 when the US Army
Signal Corps formed an Aeronautical Division, just three-and-a-half years after the Wright
brothers flew the world's first powered airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.4
Traditions and History
The Air Forces culture has its roots in its traditions and history. The Air Force cherishes
its past and nourishes its institutional memory through ceremonies and traditions. Its
organizations preserve their unit histories and display them in unit patches, and mottos.
Such traditions reinforce morale and the distinctiveness of the Air Forces contributions
within the Profession of Arms. The Air Forces rich and honorable history of service to
the Nation reminds Airmen of who they are, the cause they serve, and their ties to those
who have gone before them.
Military Culture and Airmanship
Military culture comprises the beliefs and attitudes within a military organization that
shape its collective preferences toward the use of force.5 Airmen refer to these beliefs and
attitudes as air-mindedness. These beliefs and attitudes are shaped by what we know and
believe about the use of military force in four dimensions: speed, range, altitude, and time;
and their relationship to the air and space-operating environment.6
In early aviation history, the term airman was synonymous with pilots and the term
airmanship meant skill in piloting or navigating aircraft.7 Today, Airmen with a capital
A describes all those who serve in the United States Air Force, and Airmanship is
simply the art of being a professional Airman.
For the enlisted force, Airmanship centers on two critical documents: The Air Force Core
Values, and AFI 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, referred to informally as The
Little Blue Book and The Little Brown Book respectively. Together, they describe the
emotional, moral, and intellectual qualities and behaviors common to all successful
enlisted air-minded military professionals.8
Norms of Conduct and Professional Standards
The Air Forces culture promotes certain norms of conduct. For example, discipline is
central to its professional identity. Airmen, who manage violence under the stress and
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ambiguity of combat, require the highest level of individual and organizational discipline.
Likewise, because Airmen must face the violence of combat, they require the stiffening of
discipline to help them do their duty. General George S. Patton Jr. summarized the need
for discipline as follows:
Discipline is based on pride in the Profession of Arms, on meticulous attention to
details, and on mutual respect and confidence. Discipline must be a habit so
engrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle or the fear of death.
Air Force norms of conduct also demand adherence to the laws, treaties, and conventions
governing the conduct of war. The Law of Armed Conflict seeks both to legitimatize and
limit the use of military force and prevent employing violence unnecessarily or
inhumanely. For Airmen, this is more than a legal rule; it is an American value. For
Americans, each individual has worth. Each is a person endowed with unalienable rights.
Standards are the yardstick a profession uses to measure the performance and behavior of
its members. Standards in the military include tangible measurements such as quality and
quantity of work performed and intangible standards such as ethical behavior, maintaining
professional relationships, and adhering to and promoting the core values. As mentioned
previously, the principles that inspire our guiding values and standards are best expressed
by our AF Core Values, Airman's Creed, and Warrior Ethos.
INSPECTIONS AND CEREMONIES
If you have served in the Air Force in the last 10 years, you have probably experienced a
tremendous change in the uniform that you wear. From BDUs to ABUs, the Hap Arnold
Heritage Coat with belt and narrower lapels or the traditional blue service coat. Even the
uniform we exercise in has gone through some adjustments in recent years. The
statement what is all the fuss over a uniform seems to resonate throughout the Air Force.
Well, why all the fuss? The Air Force uniform is distinctive, as it should be. The Air
Force uniform identifies the person wearing it that they are an American Airmanfaithful
to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor, and a legacy of valor. Wearing the Air Force
uniform means that you get to carry on the tradition. You are professional, and a member
of a society known as Airmen.

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Inspection Procedures
All Air Force members must adhere to standards of neatness, cleanliness, safety, and
military image to provide the appearance of a disciplined service member. A distinct
hallmark of military precision and discipline is the ability of an individual Airman to
present a perfect appearance. Each Air Force member is required to procure and maintain
all mandatory clothing items. Each uniform item must be kept neat, clean, pressed,
buttoned, and properly maintained at all times.9
During your time at the NCO Academy, you are expected to maintain and demonstrate the
uniform standards that have been outlined in AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal
Appearance of Air Force Personnel. Three uniform inspections will be conducted as part
of the NCOA curriculum. These uniform inspections will consist of a formal uniform
inspection of the Airman Battle Uniform, the service uniform, and the service dress
uniform.
Drill and Ceremonies
Throughout history, armies have practiced drill. In times of war, leaders used drill to move
troops and equipment quickly from one location to another in an orderly manner. Drills
also show how troops can move as one in a flawlessly timed effort. These unison
movements are still important on the battlefield where mistakes can cost lives. In
peacetime, drill, which also includes open ranks and reveille and retreat, provides a means
of enhancing morale, developing a spirit of cohesion, and presenting traditional and wellexecuted ceremonies.
Drill consists of certain movements by which the flight or squadron is moved in an orderly
manner from one formation to another or from one place to another. Standards such as the
24-inch step, cadence of 100 to 120 steps per minute, distance, and interval are established
to ensure movements are executed with order and precision. The task of each person is to
learn these movements and execute each part exactly as described. Individuals also must
learn to adapt their own movements to those of the group. Everyone in the formation must
move together on command. When individuals react to commands rather than thought, the
result is more than just a good-looking ceremony or parade; it is discipline! Drill has been
and will continue to be the backbone of military discipline. In addition to discipline,
military drill teaches and develops:

Teamwork
Confidence
Pride
Alertness
Attention to detail
Esprit de corps

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Ceremonies are special, formal, group activities conducted by the Armed Forces to honor
distinguished persons or recognize special events. Ceremonies also demonstrate the
proficiency and training state of the troops. Ceremonies are an extension of drill activities.
The precision marching, promptness in responding to commands, and teamwork developed
on the drill field determine the appearance and performance of the group in ceremonies.10
The purpose of a ceremony is to accomplish one or more of the following:
Provide distinctive honors to national symbols or individuals on special
occasions
Display proficiency and the state of training of assigned personnel
Promote teamwork and pride for the Air Force
Contribute to the public morale by displaying symbolically the strength and
unity of the military in support of the nation
Reveille and Retreat Procedures
Each of you will have the opportunity to participate in a reveille and retreat ceremony
while you are attending the NCOA. Many Airmen do not get an opportunity to participate
in these flag ceremonies on a regular basis. If it has been some time since you last
participated in a flag ceremonies you may want to review the procedures in AFMAN 362203, Drill and Ceremonies.
Reveille is the signal for the start of the official duty day. Because the time for the start of
the duty day varies between bases, the commander designates the specified time for
reveille. If the commander desires, a reveille ceremony may accompany the raising of the
flag. This ceremony takes place near the base flagstaff and is held after sunrise.11
The retreat ceremony serves a twofold purpose. It signals the end of the official duty day
and serves as a ceremony for paying respect to the flag. Because the time for the end of
the duty day varies, the commander designates the specific time for the retreat ceremony.
When persons not assigned to a formation are outdoors and in uniform, on the first note of
retreat, they should face the flag (if visible) or music and assume the position of parade
rest.
CONCLUSION
Take the time to review AFI 36-2903 and AFMAN 36-2203 prior to uniform inspection
and the reveille/retreat ceremonies, both of these references will guide you through the
steps necessary to be successful. As you stand during reveille and retreat, wearing your
distinct and professional uniform, closely watch the flag of your country and reflect on
what that flag means to you. Think about the culture, those shared attitudes, values, goals,
and practices that descend to you, the heir.

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NOTES

Lieutenant Colonel Lynne Vermillion, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base
AU/AWC/RWP258/96-04
2

Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (2006), s.v. Culture.

Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (2006), s.v. Heritagee.

U.S. Air Force official public Web site, Mission Part One: From the Signal Corps to the Air Corps,
http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/history/part1/ (accessed 13 September 2010).
5

Lt Col Robert M. Cassidy, The British Army and Counterinsurgency: The Salience of Military Culture,
Military Review, May-June 2005: 53.
6

Air Force Doctrine Center, 50 Questions Every Airman Can Answer (Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University,
2005), 7.
7

Merriam-Webster On Line Dictionary, http://mw2.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airmanship (accessed 13

September 2010).
8

Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure, 27 February 2009, 3.

Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, 2 August 2006.

10

Air Force Manual 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies, 3 June 1996.

11

Air Force Manual 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies, 3 June 1996.

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