The fourth Air Force core value ... Published July 19, 2007 By Colonel Brett D. Haswell 326th Maintenance Group Commander Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. -- Integrity, Service before Self and Excellence in all we do ... these are the core values for our behavior as an efficient force, the best Air Force in the world. They remind us to focus on the mission, build team spirit, and ensure that we complete all tasks with the best efficiency and effectiveness possible. However, to balance our lives, we should use the same principles when interacting with our friends, neighbors, business acquaintances and above all .... our families! Our core values are just as effective guidelines for building strong families and friendships, so perhaps the fourth core value should be ... balance. For this commentary, let's focus on family. During a recent farewell dinner, Col. Scott Davis, our outgoing vice wing commander, stated he felt the "... meaning of life, is balance ...". He was referring to balance between work, family, friends and self. You can be the best at your job, but if you don't invest the same efforts, the same honesty, and the time to enjoy the other aspects of your life, then what will you have when you are done with your Air Force career? He went on to state that "... whatever you do, it should be able to pass the rocking chair test..." In other words, when you are retired and sitting on your porch reminiscing about your career in the force, you won't remember all that paperwork you finished early, or all that e-mail you were able to read, or even those extra hours you spent on the weekends getting ahead. What you will remember and cherish will be the missions you accomplished; the time you spent with your Airmen; the time you spent with your friends; and above all ... the quality time you spent with your family. Balance is the key to a well rounded, excellent, effective Airman. My family and I recently took advantage of a great opportunity. Having been very fortunate to have three assignments in Europe, including two in Italy, we discussed scheduling a vacation to Italy for the last two years. After a little research and a lot of sticker shock at the price of airline tickets, I finally did some research about space available military flights. The Air Force Portal didn't have much information on space available, so I resorted to the internet and found a great Web site with plenty of information and most important - accurate phone numbers. With the current state of security, information is limited, but with a little persistence, you can ferret out enough information to build a travel plan. With no excuses remaining, we decided to try it. Without going into the details, we were completely successful with the trip, which included two weeks staying with friends in Italy and visiting such great places as Tuscany, Venice, Lake Garda and many old favorite places in the Aviano area. Flying space available has its moments of anxiety and you should always have a backup plan, but with a little planning and good timing there are many amazing travel opportunities. Now I suppose I should get to the point. My family and I will remember that trip forever. We had a wonderful time visiting Air Force friends, as well as friends from our previous assignments in Italy. We spent some valuable quality time together without interruption from those 'important' work phone calls. Our lives are richer from the experience. Quite frankly, this vacation will make me a more efficient Airman since I had time to get away, clear my thoughts of work issues, and 'recharge my batteries.' Oh, and I forgot to add, this also gave my deputy an opportunity to stretch a bit and build his group commander abilities. As Airmen, we always say we need to train our deputies (assistants, or seconds in charge) and if we do it right, our team will run just fine while we are gone, right? Well then, just do it! Use that leave you've been saving, trust your deputy, and make some lasting memories with your family and friends. Your family will appreciate the investment in your relationships, and you will teach your co-workers that the fourth Air Force Core Value is ... 'Balance' ... to make us all better Airmen!