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COMMENTARIES

  • Why we should be thankful for those around us

    Around every Thanksgiving, we look to find the reasons we are thankful. It may be about what we have in life -- or for someone like me -- we are thankful for the family who surrounds us.As a near 19-year veteran of the Air Force, my family has always been a military family since it began in the same

  • How I improved my PT score and changed my life

    When I arrived at McConnell in July 2009, I weighed 228 pounds. It was the highest my weight had ever been while serving on active duty. At 5 feet 4 inches tall, I was extremely overweight. In the past, I had never really had to stress about the physical fitness test because I had always maintained

  • The importance of self-assessment

    With a Unit Compliance Inspection just on the horizon for the 375th Air Mobility Wing, I thought some words should be stated about the importance of completing a thorough unit self assessment. In my Air Force career I've learned that the key to unit success is ensuring that a complete job risk

  • Veterans Day: 'Find ways to express our gratitude for veterans'

    11.11.11. These numbers have significant meaning for most of us because we recognize it immediately as the time, date and month that marked the end of World War I. For those living 92 years ago, it meant an immediate end to a global conflict and hope for a future filled with negotiations, not

  • Leadership: What has worked for me...

    As we go through our careers, we work with many different personalities and many different leaders. There are those whom we work with very well and then there are those with whom we just can't figure out what they want or need. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to support our leaders

  • The back-breaking road to recovery

    As someone who has been physically fit his entire life, I never thought I would fall into the category of somebody who had to "overcome a fitness challenge." However, a few months after completing my first marathon, all that changed while I was on vacation in Beijing, China, in June 2008. I was

  • As winter comes...know your uniform wear

    Summer and autumn start to become distant memories as the temperature drops and the first snow fall of the year approaches. All signs that winter is about to make its grand entrance. The problem is North Dakota winters are long and utterly freezing, just to call them cold would be a vast

  • A bass or a catfish -- which are you?

    Part of being a leader is finding effective ways to impart key concepts into the hearts and minds of those we lead.  One way to do this is through the use of comparative word pictures, or metaphors. When briefing my squadron, I often only display pictures or images since most people remember more of

  • Keep it simple

    One of the greatest leadership books, in my opinion, is "Lincoln on Leadership." It doesn't matter if you're an officer, enlisted or civilian leader, this book will help shape you and give you information to make you a better leader. This is just one book you could use to learn about leadership and