Tigers! It has been an honor and pleasure to serve alongside you since May 2019. My short time in the Air Force has come to a rapid close after 11 years, 11 months, and 25 days of active duty service.
Rather than make a speech that everyone will forget in 5.35 minutes, I wrote down some unsolicited advice.
First: Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long‐term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Second: The Air Force doesn’t need you. The advantage of US military training is we are all replaceable cogs in a very large machine. You can take any pilot and any loadmaster from any C‐17 squadron and form a crew in about 15 minutes. Never forget you are replaceable. The Air Force will take everything you give it. At the end of your time in the Air Force, if you have sacrificed your family, mental or physical health, or your wealth, you will realize that it wasn’t worth it. The Air Force will move on and leave you broken in more ways than one. Know when you’re done, know when your family is done. Know your limit and separate or retire one day before you reach that limit. Your time in the Air Force will end one day. Do not sacrifice the important people or other facets of your life for the cause. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Third: The best things in life – relationships, health, wealth, knowledge ‐ come from compounding returns: small, consistent investments of time, energy, or money that grow exponentially over long periods of time. Be deliberate and careful with how and who you spend your time, energy, and money. How you spend your days is how you spend your life. People overestimate what they can do in a year but underestimate what they can do in an assignment.
Relationships ‐ You may not know the last time you speak to someone or will perform any activity. Life is short and we do not know how much time we are allotted. Do not wait to do what is important. Tell your loved ones you love them. Call that friend you have been meaning to call. Take that work friend out to lunch. It will all end sooner than you know it.
Health – Health is wealth. The important thing is to move. Just do something physical every day. Hike, swim, walk your dog, run, surf, bike, lift heavy things – the important thing is to just move. Run a marathon or a triathlon if you want. Then rest. Drink water. Get more than enough sleep. Don’t eat tornados and energy drinks for every meal. You are what you eat.
Wealth – Pay yourself first. Contribute monthly your TSP until you max it out. Don’t spend more than you earn and invest the difference in low cost index funds. Save a $1,000 emergency fund ASAP. Build the life you want and then save for it. Making money is proof your adding value to people’s lives. Save that money and put it to work for yourself.
Knowledge – A six hour ocean crossing is several podcasts. A 30 minute daily commute is enough to get through a 20 hour audiobook in a month. You can maximize your in‐between time to get more than a college education on the things that actually matter in life. Always buy a book that interests you. If you get one good idea out of it, that’s worth the $25 price.
Fourth: Some life lessons that should make your time in the Air Force a little more enjoyable: 80% of life is just showing up. 90% of everything is crap. Find the 10% that isn’t junk. Focus on the 20% of your tasks that produce 80% of your results. Cut out the remaining 80% of tasks. Repeat this process. Show up 10 minutes early to all your appointments. Two is one, one is none. Always have a backup of any important item. Do not live a timid life. Be bold. Make stuff happen. Ask for forgiveness, not for permission. No one cares more about what you do than you do. Do your tasks to the best of your ability.
Fifth: When it’s all done, what did I accomplish? I piloted over 3,000 hours in the C‐17. I lived all over the world. I worked with dozens of nationalities. I landed in over 70 countries and saw over 145 different airports. I moved millions of pounds of cargo, tens of thousands of passengers, and deployed three times in two wars. Four flying squadrons later, all you really take with you are the memories, photos, and friendships and the family you have left. Make it count while you serve! If you want to know what I’m up to in the future, please visit spencerreese.org or militarymoneymanual.com
Fly safe!
Spencer
The text above is the farewell letter I sent to my squadron, the 535th Airlift Squadron, a few days before I separated from active duty in 2022.
Spencer, 2024