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COMMENTARIES

  • See, say, do

    "Head's up!" "Keep your head on a swivel." "Have good situational awareness." "Be aware of your surroundings."Do any of these admonitions sound familiar? If you've played sports, been in the military or attended personal security classes, one or all of them probably do. So, why bring them up now?The

  • 62nd AW achieves notable milestone

    The 62nd Airlift Wing achieved a notable milestone with the closeout of fiscal year 2014, the 62nd Maintenance Group ended the year with an overall mission capable rate of 87.1 percent, which marks the highest yearly rate ever achieved for C-17 operations at McChord Field. The mission capability

  • Who's on my team?

    Fantasy football players do it before draft day.  They evaluate and appreciate the talents, skill sets, and winning attitudes of the players they hope to draft in forming their dream team.  Leaders do the same thing when they evaluate and hire people for their office "team."  Wing commanders look

  • Colonel Friend, General Abrams, and an M60A1

    The hot war in Vietnam was winding down in Southeast Asia and I really had not planned to go into the military.  Nevertheless, instead of being drafted, I enlisted.  After nearly three years in the Reserves, I volunteered to go to West Germany on active duty.  It was the height of the Cold War and

  • The beauty of unity

    What do cheeseburgers, musical groups, sports teams and the United States of America have in common?If you said "the letter 's,' you're right, but that's not the answer I'm looking for. The real answer is that one factor ties all of them together - unity.How many of you want to eat a plain hamburger

  • 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