Commentary Search

Commentaries

  • Giving everyone trophies diminishes their value

    I grew up being conditioned that we live in a competitive world.If you want to succeed at something, you have to work at it by devoting time, effort and energy to make people take notice. Some people may be more talented than you, but that is beyond your control. Like most people around my age, 44,

  • Excellence in all we do is key

    I want to talk about how our Air Force Core value of "excellence in all we do" is applied to ongoing change at David Grant USAF Medical Center.I believe all Airmen, and indeed all Americans, want to be excellent, but are sometimes unsure what level of excellence is required for the day's mission.If

  • What's gained in professional military education?

    Why do professional military education?  Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." Part of the Air

  • Four elements of leadership apply to all Airmen

    In January I entered my 30th calendar year of service, and it is really tough to think back on all of the great experiences, the journey, and how I have come to where I am at today.  One of those experiences, that didn't feel so good at the time, involved one of my last physical appearances before a

  • Job knowledge, innovation power AF

    Leaders, teammates, professional military aviators, these are my expectations for the men and women of the 21st Airlift Squadron. Building on each other, they form the bedrock of mission success. Although they are geared towards my squadron, they are applicable to all career fields in our Air

  • 'Survival mode' inhibits behavior, perspectives

    So, it's one of those mornings. You have multiple projects at work due at the same time. You leave your house early to get a jumpstart on the day but, of course, there's heavy traffic.It is then you realize you left your ID at your desk. By the time you get a temporary pass to get on base and get to

  • Thanks, Airmen, for all you do

    Sometimes, we do not fully appreciate the work our Airmen do until we are immersed in their world. I am living proof of that statement because I have operated on the periphery of mobility operations for a majority of my career.  In the beginning, when the Air Force created Airman 1st Class Harrison,

  • CRW Airmen deliver: How do they do it?

    It's a question that every kid asks with wonderment at some point during the holiday season: "How does Santa deliver all of those presents?"It does seem implausible, with nothing but a few reindeer pulling a heavy sleigh thousands of miles through the dark of night. But when I think of the complex

  • Airmen must balance service before self

    Service Before Self: an enduring commitment and selfless dedication to duty at all times, and in all circumstances.It is a total commitment to the highest ideals of personal sacrifice in defense of the Constitution of the United States, and asks us to subordinate personal interests, attitudes, and

  • Volunteerism affects positive change

    Throughout our military careers, we often talk of being a volunteer force, a subset of our culture that has volunteered to serve our country in the profession of arms. Without disrespect to anyone currently in uniform or those that have served before me, I have always been in conflict over the