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  • Cha-cha-cha Changes

    Whenever I hear that song by David Bowie, it reminds me of how life is an endless series of changes. From the moment we are born until the moment we die, our lives are in a perpetual state of change, most good. We go from crawling to walking, from coloring to writing, from grade school to high

  • Faithful to a proud heritage on USAF’s 65th Anniversary

    In case you missed it, last month one of our country's World War II Airmen, 2nd Lt. Samuel Smith, received the coveted Distinguished Flying Cross nearly 70 years after his service. He was recognized for successfully recovering his crew and crippled B-17 Flying Fortress after the undercarriage and

  • Things change – enjoy it

    I had a strange feeling riding my bicycle to work this morning. Memories flooded my mind of 18 years ago when I first rode my bike down Cannon Drive in Travis base housing. Of course, back then I was 14 years old and was riding my bike to a friend's house, not to work. Things change. My family moved

  • A Day of Service

    In 2009, Congress designated September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. On this day, I think it is fitting that we remember and honor the innocent lives taken during that vicious attack by renewing our commitment of service to our Nation. As the son of an Air Force NCO, I grew up

  • Service organization delivers during time of need

    I'd like to share a quick story about a few, true patriots. One summer day this past July, I received word one of our deployed 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron members was returning stateside on emergency leave. His father-in-law was rapidly declining in health and he was on his way home to

  • For the love of game

    I recently saw a movie titled, "For the Love of the Game." Kevin Costner stars as Billy Campbell, a famed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers on the brink of making the most difficult decision of his career. His options were to choose between being traded to another team after a 15-year career with his

  • There's no time like the present

    Time is a very, very precious thing. It is a limited and valuable resource. Time "flies by" when you are having fun, it is "of the essence" when you have something that needs to be done and it often "marches on" despite our best efforts to manage the pace of daily activities. Need proof? Summertime

  • Springboards can offer changes in perspective

    Imagine a springboard. It's a simple device. A flexible platform set upon a spring. If you watched the Olympics, you observed the gymnasts using a springboard to gain elevation during the vault event.We can take the idea of a springboard and think about it in a way to improve or change our

  • Vision, communication vital to AF future

    On Aug. 6, Lt. Gen. Darren McDew assumed command of the 18th Air Force and shared his "expectations for leaders." I'd like to take a moment and share a few of these expectations with you, and how we here at Travis execute them. Following McDew's lead, I'll start my commentary with "thank you." Thank

  • Every challenge presents an opportunity

    As a commander, one of the more common things I hear when I visit units during the Spring and Summer is, "Sir, we're losing all our good Airmen in the next couple of months." Unit leaders are genuinely concerned about the loss of their best, brightest and most experienced airmen, NCOs and officers