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  • March Madness teaches us teamwork

    Although the final game is April 8, we are in the midst of March Madness, the annual NCAA Division I basketball tournament. I love to follow the tournament to watch my alma mater attempt to make it to the championship game. Beyond that, watching March Madness provides good lessons applicable to much

  • Look past titles to reach Airmen

    In the Air Force, we've all heard someone say, "take care of your people, and their families." Have you ever stopped to think why we hear this so often? As Airmen, our No. 1 responsibility is to accomplish the mission. However, without smart, dedicated, hard-working people and the unconditional

  • Air power energized by use of resources

    One of my favorite sayings is flexibility is the key to airpower. As sequestration takes hold, coupled with budget constraints, it may become our battle cry. We live in uncertain times and the resources that appeared abundant last year will have to stretch to cover our mission.The definition of

  • Eye contact one way to communicate with Airmen

    It's often been stated by United States Air Force leaders that the mission comes first or it's for the best interest of the Air Force. With that said, I would argue that if we expect the mission to come first and if it's truly in the best interest of the Air Force, we need to understand the human

  • Can-do attitude necessary for success

    While sitting at my desk, trying to decide what to share with the Travis community, I glanced to my right and noticed the photo of my father. Immediately, I knew what to write about. A can-do attitude.Such an attitude is, in my opinion, the single most important factor for achieving success in

  • Set new goals with inspection concluded

    Inspection season is over. We've spent the last six months preparing for our part of the Consolidated Unit Inspection. We've spent long hours and late nights away from our families, put aside priorities that long ago fell off our plates and did our best to balance mission requirements with our

  • The pen is mightier

    In 1839 Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote a play titled "The Conspiracy," but not many have heard of Bulwer-Lytton or his play. However, we have all heard the famous quote, "the pen is mightier than the sword," from "The Conspiracy." What exactly does that quote mean? How can a pen be stronger than a

  • Patience, empathy help in resolving conflicts

    Most of us have begun working on our new year's resolutions. Rather than write about the common ones such as eating healthier or exercising more. I would like to write about one that I feel we can all benefit from: conflict resolution. The Air Force has a diverse population. We come from all walks

  • The Coin of the Realm

    We've got a tough fiscal climate out there these days and it seems every time we turn around, we hear how challenging our financial future is going to be in the Air Force. As I visit the squadrons and flights in my wing, I frequently witness how stretched manpower is and yet we still have more than

  • Powered by Airmen, fueled by innovation

    Throughout our proud history, the Air Force has always been powered by visionary Airmen. It comes as no surprise that the first armed forces vision statement was established by the Air Force and came from the title of a document published in 1990 called "Global Reach-Global Power."As our mission