• Survivor remembers 1950 crash

    William Braz was an eyewitness to Travis Air Force Base history.In fact, he is the last known surviving member from the B-29 Superfortress crew that crashed Aug. 5, 1950, an incident which gave the base its name.Braz was born in 1920 and is now 92 years old, but his mind is still sharp, with a vivid

  • People, Airmen more than just 'they'

    "They are making it difficult for us get our job done.""They are making a bunch of unreasonable requirements that make it impossible for us to get what we need.""They don't understand what it is that we do."Who's "they?" Why are "they" so intent on making your life miserable?I'm sure that you've

  • Role models grown, not manufactured

    The new guidance for mentoring was recently released in May. Reading through Air Force Manual 36-2643, it struck me that something was missing from the role of mentor. This important role is influential in the career of our Airmen and the new manual does a good job of better defining the

  • What is your integrity worth?

    Would you compromise your integrity for something of no value? Would you give away your integrity for something of little value or a temporary pleasure? You might be thinking those questions are silly, no one would compromise their integrity for such trivial things, or would they?I recently played a

  • Innovate through shared challenge

    We are all aware of the operational constraints that now surround each of us. Fiscal constraints, decreasing manpower and a more difficult approval process for purchasing everything from pencils to training. Senior leaders are aware of these constraints and for the first time they are not asking us

  • Air Force jobs anything but routine

    I step off the crew bus to fly another local. It's a straight forward plan to takeoff, head to the air refueling track, practice contacts and fly back to the Travis pattern for some night transition, assault landings and ground operations. I have done this before, in fact, many times and approach

  • Leading carries many burdens

    Being a sincere and engaged supervisor is the key to developing our next generation of leaders. As a group superintendent, I see a number of waivers, exemptions and other requests. It always surprises me when I see a member who moved out of the dorms more than 11 months ago and never realized they

  • Military leaders must avoid hitting 'easy button'

    A chain of popular office supply stores use a memorable advertising theme to convey how simple it is to get whatever you need from its stores. They call it the "Easy Button." Just hit the button and whatever you need is delivered. I love this idea for the office supply store, but I often talk about

  • Feds Feed Families under way

    The Feds Feeds Families campaign started at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. July 5, and runs through Aug. 28. "Feds Feed Families is a voluntary effort undertaken by federal employees nationwide who collect and donate non-perishable food items for those in need," said Senior Master Sgt. Chad Bickley,