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COMMENTARIES

  • There I Was...Armed with a cell phone loaded with numbers

    So there I was, receiving the phone call confirming that I was selected for a short notice deployment tasking. I was going to serve as the first sergeant for the 780th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania. It's a small city in south-east Romania near the Black Sea. My

  • Are you part of the solution?

    As our Air Force, military, and nation make the transition from continuous armed conflict to a time of reduced ops tempo, shrinking budgets, and reduced manpower it is clear that the environment we have become accustomed to is rapidly changing. Many of our senior leaders have challenged us to adapt

  • Thanking Gavin: Boy's holiday card amuses, inspires deployed troops

    The card posted on the wall consisted of just four short words and the owner's name. It read, "Hope you make it - Gavin." This simple message from a grade school holiday card at the entry to the dining facility on our small Forward Operating Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, brought no small amount of joy

  • Look past 1947 for Air Force roots

    The Air Force officially turns 67 this month, but my uncle Gino thinks it's older.He's 90, and the lone surviving brother of my father. Both of them served in World War II, as did two of their siblings. My father was in the Navy, as was his eldest brother, Europeo (his real name, I swear). Gino and

  • It is my honor and privilege

    How do you respond when someone says thank you? Do you smile and nod your head? Do you say, "No problem."? How about, "I am just doing my job." Perhaps a thank you catches you off guard and you fail to provide a response at all? I understand all of these reactions. It is easy to feel embarrassed by

  • Learn to adapt, overcome before becoming extinct

    While working in a joint assignment, an old U.S. Army lieutenant colonel whom I worked with was less than familiar with basic computer functions, so I spent a lot of time helping him format Microsoft Word and Excel documents. He always asked me to "teach him how to fish," meaning he wanted me to

  • Embrace obstacles, enjoy career you have

    If you're at all like me, then you're a planner. I try to have a plan for everything. I'm the guy who plans out his clothes the night before so he doesn't have to do it in the morning. I've already thought about the next vehicle we're going to buy even though we don't need one. Similarly, I even

  • Chief retires after 30 years

    As a term to wish for someone's well-being at parting, "farewell" is very appropriate. For my bidding farewell to the Air Force, the term "farewell" feels incredibly less than satisfactory. I simply want to wish so much more for the men and women that will carry on and continue to serve our country

  • Take look inward with honesty, responsibility

    Honest self-evaluation is something you must actively do, it is not something that just happens. During my time in the Air Force, I have found that truly outstanding Airmen are often their own worst critics. They constantly evaluate their overall performance, from supervising and leading, to how

  • Deeds not words make 'quiet professionals'

    As I was preparing for my assumption of command of the 60th Aerial Port Squadron, I was learning as much as I could about the squadron. One thing I immediately looked at was our squadron patch, because I wanted to see the emblem that represents the squadron to the rest of the Air Force. Directly