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COMMENTARIES

  • First sergeant thanks you for serving

    When I enlisted in 1983, the world was a very different place. Russia was our enemy, the one computer our unit had was large enough to fill an entire room and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" created a new form of entertainment called the music video. "Back in the day," many of us joined the Air Force

  • Message to our enlisted force

    Wow! That's the first word that comes to mind when I reflect on my first few months as the 436th Airlift Wing command chief. My wife Terri and our family are so honored to be a part of this winning team. During our time here, we've been simply amazed by the amount of buzz generated by Team Dover.

  • Leadership from the 'heart'

    I was sitting in the front row of the auditorium in my son Jackson's school waiting for the spelling bee to start. I was anxious to see how Jackson would do amongst the best spellers in school. Once it started, he was the fifth person they called. His word was, "intermediate." He replies,

  • The essentials: Personal integrity

    I am my own responsibility. That's a simple statement. Is it true for you? I've been considering the comments made in a recent discussion during the chaplain's regular Public Affairs visit regarding the conflict between the wingman concept and personal integrity. Both are necessary, I decided, but

  • Seatbelts save lives: A firsthand account

     It was a beautiful afternoon, the sun was beginning to set behind the Blue Ridge mountain range and the air was crisp with a February cold on this Valentine's Day. I had worked a full 10-hour day at my primary job, visited my girlfriend for an hour and then was heading to my second job which was

  • If I only had one minute with each of them

    In the spring of 2001, I made my first visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. I was attending some training at Fort Meade, Md., at the time and during one of the weekends I was there, I went with a classmate to see this famed cemetery of heroes. It's a big place where you can see rows

  • Air Force convoy teams go above and beyond

    After several years in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Airmen performing duties that are ordinarily provided by the Army is far from being a new concept. In fact, this requirement continues to grow among many Air Force specialties as our Airmen continue to prove that they can perform non-typical duties

  • Reaping the seeds sewn through training

    There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the fruits of your labor, and that is exactly what Tech. Sgt. Antonio Strong and I have been able to do and see since deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Currently assigned to the 728th AMS' Air Terminal Operations Center, or ATOC, we work hand-in-hand

  • Good decision making skills - a leadership must

    Good decision making is an essential skill for effective leadership. If you can learn to make timely and well-considered decisions, then you can lead your team to spectacular and well-deserved success. However, making poor decisions may run the risk of failure and your time as a leader could be

  • Patriots for a lifetime

    In preparation for the Sept. 11 Patriot's Day Parade in Spokane, I found myself marching on the lot across from the White House. The sun blazed down on the backs of the flight in formation, the heat permeated our uniforms and our skin became moist with perspiration. Falling into the steps with ease,