Photo By Staff Sgt. Shelby Pruitt-Johnson | Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service, speaks to youth...... read more read more
Subscribe
The Joint Base San Antonio Company Grade Officers Council hosted a Breaking Barriers event April 10, 2019, at the Fleenor Auditorium, JBSA-Randolph. The purpose of this event was to provide an opportunity for the JBSA community to hear, ask questions and learn from Brig. Gen. Leavitt, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service, as she shares her Air Force story and passes along knowledge.
The CGOC hosted the event in hopes to inspire and motivate Airmen and the JBSA community to pave the way for them to become better leaders.
“I remember reading a quote on the wall during my time at Officer Training School. I believe it read, ‘History makes you smart, but heritage makes you proud,’” said 1st Lt. Kiely Meade, officer in charge of Transitions Operations, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, and president of the CGOC. “Giving our Airmen a chance to interact with a living legend will inspire and potentially motivate them to go seek out their next challenge and continue a tradition of breaking barriers.”
Leavitt is known as a trailblazer for her accomplishments of being the first female fighter pilot, the first woman to command an Air Force combat fighter wing and just recently for being the inspiration for the Captain Marvel movie.
“It's not every day that the REAL Captain Marvel is available for questions,” joked Meade.
Leavitt is known for her humble nature when it comes to the attention she receives for her accomplishments.
“I just wanted to be a fighter pilot,” said Leavitt. “I was not interested in being the first. I wanted to be the 43rd or some number where nobody really cared because I didn’t really want the attention.”
After speaking at an event in the past, Leavitt recalls what a chief master sergeant had said to her that made her change the perspective she had on telling her story.
“He said, ‘It’s not about you. Don’t get me wrong, you play an important role in the story, but the story is bigger than you. It’s about the Air Force. It’s about a change in policy, a change in how we execute as a team,’” remembered Leavitt. “What he said made me more comfortable telling my story.”
Her story begins at the University of Texas, where she took classes to be an aerospace engineer. During her time in school, she crossed paths with an LT awaiting pilot training. They talked and he answered all of her eager questions. Soon after, Leavitt joined the ROTC detachment and made history from then on.
“My story is unique to me and every single one of us has a story. You don’t realize how cool you are, even LTs and young Airmen. I encourage you to get out and tell your story, your experiences, the opportunities that were made available to you, and how the Air Force positively influenced your life.” Leavitt said.
Another topic Leavitt touched on was leadership.
“Leadership is not defined by your position. We have leaders at all levels,” she said.
Leavitt emphasized the importance of good leadership and what it takes to get there. She recalled what she learned while in weapons school where they were taught that leaders should be humble, approachable and credible.
“It’s very important because you need to be credible in what you’re doing, but if you’re not humble and approachable, what good is that knowledge?”
At the end of the event the floor was open to the audience to ask Leavitt questions about her experiences.
“The event was a resounding success,” Meade said. “The crowd was a mix of Airmen, officers, civilians and even a few children. It is hard to believe that you could have left the theater without being a little more inspired than when you arrived.
“I hope the JBSA audience gained a stronger sense of Air Force pride and a better understanding of what it takes to chase the core value of excellence in all we do.”
This Breaking Barriers event is just one of the many opportunities JBSA and the Air Force have open to the total force to enhance the overall person concept and to pass on the knowledge onto the next generation of war fighters.
Story was originally posted to the JBSA.mil website on Apr. 18, 2019 and may be found at https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1817527/military-trailblazer-speaks-at-breaking-barriers-event/.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2020 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 354472 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Military trailblazer speaks at Breaking Barriers event, by SSgt Shelby Pruitt-Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
