These young people are deeply anguished by this decision. The best evidence is their nearly universal intention to join the Guard or Reserve. The current retention figures across the Air Force are abysmal. I remember all too well from the 1970s what serving in that type of force is like. The notion that the Air Force that won Desert Storm could be headed again toward being that hollow force in less than a decade should cause each of us to ask what part we can play in the solution.
None seem to be working.
I can remember facing each of the family, money, and trust issues after the Vietnam War. Perhaps we're asking the wrong question. That culture began with the knowledge that we were all part of something bigger than ourselves. That way of living included a life style centered on our squadrons, wings and the base we called home. The components of that Air Force Culture and the way of life it created are difficult to enumerate without seeming trivial.