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COMMENTARIES

  • Clear expectations guide Airmen, squadron

    In the season of change of commands I'm reminded of when I first was a Mission Support Group executive officer and my group commander provided his "commander's intent." At that time I was a brand new captain and I'd never had a commander provide to me in writing what his expectations were. I liked

  • There I was: TCN duty

    Late last year, I was tasked to deploy as an escort for third-country nationals. TCNs are civilian personnel who are utilized to help the military accomplish its mission at deployed locations. I had just returned from leave when I was informed I would deploy. When I was first tasked, I only had a

  • Lending a helping hand in the DR

    Despite the fact I have served in the military for 26 years, every humanitarian mission I have served as a physician's assistant is a new experience and adventure. My last humanitarian mission was in the beautiful Dominican Republic, where we provided medical care to 8,532 people of Puerto Plata in

  • Science fiction turns into reality

    As a child, I recall seeing an Air Force commercial of a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling two F-117A Nighthawks, but those aircrafts were not what etched the commercial into my memory. It was the moment of seeing a B-2 Spirit approaching the KC-135.The oddly shaped plane seemed somewhat

  • The pebble in your shoe

    Muhammad Ali said, "Often it isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the pebble in your shoe."Sometimes the real problem in life is figuring out when to focus ones attention or when to develop a broader perspective. Success often depends on our ability to focus -- to ignore outside

  • Running like a ninja, not like a t-rex

    If dinosaurs were better runners, they might not be extinct today. Evidence suggests some dinosaurs ran by planting their heel first and springing off their toes. Many people run this way today. Those who run that way couldn't possibly get out of the way of a meteor fast enough. But you know who

  • Be careful what you post; it could hurt your career

    Social media quickly became a widespread form of interactive communication and has been incorporated in the way people conduct business, including the military.Since it was a fairly new concept a few years ago, we had the freedom to post whatever opinions we had on our personal social media sites

  • Be ready

    How do you know if you are ready to command or lead? There is no foolproof checklist, manual or an Air Force Instruction that gives you a step-by-step instruction on how to be an effective leader. But what you can do is prepare yourself. To prepare myself to command the Comptroller Squadron, I

  • House hunting: Back to basics

    House hunting can be a very stressful yet rewarding experience. Going from house to house looking for the perfect home seems daunting but with a few helpful tips from the Airman and Family Readiness Center's Home Buyer and Foreclosure Avoidance class my husband and I were prepared for the long