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- The Air Force is facing some backlash over new mandatory gate greetings.
- Altus Air Force Base personnel mocked gate guards over a scripted "Victory begins here!" greeting, an internal email shows.
- The mandatory greetings are part of a broader cultural shift within the Air Force.
Gate guards at an Air Force base in Oklahoma have become targets of ridicule over a newly mandated greeting, according to an internal email.
The message, sent this week by local senior enlisted leader MSgt. Bradley Opfar, warned against mocking the guards, known as Defenders, for delivering a scripted line: "Good morning, sir/ma'am. Welcome to Altus AFB. Victory begins here!"
"It frustrates me to write this to you all, but it is necessary," the email said. "Anyone found disrespecting Defenders will be held accountable." The message warned that troops could face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, while civilian employees could be reported to their supervisors.
The message included a sampling of the reactions that guards have faced at gates since February 4:
- "Don't tell me that anymore."
- "You don't have to say that shit to me when I come through."
- "You sound like a Walmart greeter."
Others have dismissed the greeting as "stupid" and "dumb," according to the message, which the Air Force verified.
A spokesperson for Altus Air Force Base told Business Insider that "victory begins here" is its "base vision."
"We adhere to a culture of professionalism and respect for every person who comes on our base, which is emphasized by the new Air Force-wide policy," the spokesperson said, adding that "disrespect toward any member of our community will not be tolerated."
The base, located in Altus, Oklahoma, is home to courses that train pilots on one of the military's largest cargo aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III, and another unit that trains personnel on notoriously complex refueling missions. Altus AFB supports roughly 2,000 permanent military personnel and employs a significant number of civilian workers.
The base started requiring the new greeting after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and the top enlisted airman, Master Sergeant David Wolfe, sent a memo on January 30 addressing base greetings.
"The way we greet one another matters," the memo said. "Professional greetings — at installation entry control points and throughout interactions with the public — must be the standard. First impressions set the tone and when paired with professional image, reinforce trust, authority and pride."
That memo referenced another base where gate guards greet drivers by saying, "Fight's on!"
"At one of our premier bases, Defenders greet patrons with, 'Good Morning, Sir/Ma'am/General/Chief. Welcome to ____ AFB. Fight's On!" the memo read.
"This simple phrase," it continued, "signals entry onto a military installation protected by vigilant Defenders and reflects our identity within the profession of arms. Every installation should ensure professional greetings are constantly practiced."
The new mandates are the latest sign of what appears to be a broader cultural shift inside the Air Force. The service last year introduced new quarterly uniform and fitness inspections — later scaling them back to once a year — and tightened grooming standards.
