A More Perfect Union
Published May 29, 2024
Embedded within the phrase “in Order to form a more perfect Union” in the Preamble to the United States Constitution are two complementary ideas that transcend the political bond between the states. A more perfect union recognizes that it is the pursuit of perfection – continuous individual growth and improvement – rather than perfection itself, that is truly meaningful. It also suggests that healthy communities provide the right conditions for such sustained individual growth. Lieutenant Colonel Alphanso Adams of the United States Air Force embodies these two ideas as a man whose character was forged through the support of his community after the unexpected death of his father early in his life.
Learn More about our National Security Affairs Fellows (NSAFs) and Hoover's National Security Affairs Fellows Program:
- Read Lt. Col. Alphanso Adams' bio here.
- Learn more about Hoover's 2024 NSAF Class here.
- Click here to learn more about The Robert and Marion Oster National Security Affairs Fellows (NSAF) Program at the Hoover Institution.
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>> Lieutenant Colonel Alphanso Adams: My name is Lieutenant Colonel Alfonso Adams of the United States Air Force. I have been on active duty for 19 years and am currently a national security affairs fellow at the Hoover Institution. The words, in order to form a more perfect union of the preamble to the Constitution, speak to me about the heart of the United States of America, our communities.
Growing up, both of my parents were my heroes and were the center of what I knew as my community. My mother, an immigrant from Zambia, was a hardworking woman and caregiver with a passion for education. She pushed me and my brothers to excel in academics and to live up to our fullest potential.
My father was larger than life in every way, as an athlete, as a musician, as a master sergeant in the Air Force, and as a dad. In 9th grade, at the age of 14, my father died unexpectedly, it hit our family hard and upended the sense of community he and my mother had created.
My mother suddenly found herself living in America, a country that was not her own, with no career, and tasked with raising three boys on her own. My younger brothers and I were without our father at a pivotal time in our lives. His absence left me confused, angry, and empty.
I was lost, but I was not alone. My mother provided us with a bedrock of support, while others stepped in to help fill the void left by my father. Many of those who stepped forward did not know my father, yet they still chose to invest their time and their energy into my education, my character, and my future.
My high school football coach instilled in me a sense of discipline. My high school English teacher fostered my sense of endless curiosity. My neighbors taught me the value of consistency. My Air Force ROTC instructors at Baylor University imbued me with self-motivation, and my father-in-law built my sense of optimism.
Not everyone in my community looked like me, they weren't all men, they weren't all black, and they didn't share the same views. But they all devoted time to forge meaningful relationships with me for the sake of my own personal development and my future. Whenever I cut corners, they held me to a higher standard, whenever I fell, they encouraged me to get up.
Whenever I worked, they pushed me to work harder, and whenever I dreamed, they dared me to dream bigger. They brought out the best in me, not a perfect me, but a more perfect me. It is because of them that I was able to move forward, to forge my own path, and foster successful relationships with friends, professors, airmen, neighbors, and my kids.
Today, I am proof that a more perfect union is possible. When I reflect on my continued service in the United States Air Force, I think of all those people who embody what it means to form a more perfect union. Who recognize the immense value of strong communities, who recognize this phrase goes beyond the political compact the United States Constitution created.
Because of them, I am a better friend, better husband, better father, and a better leader.