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Commentaries

  • Compliance culture

    Travis Air Force Base has a legacy of excellence as "America's First Choice." But merely saying it and being it are two completely different things. It takes more than just a slogan to be first. It takes a culture of doing the right things, the right way, for the right reasons. This legacy of

  • A career of doom or glory—what will you choose?

    Everyone has dreams and aspirations when they enter the military. Many came in to continue their education. All want to serve this great nation of ours and many want a career where they can earn a good living and have many benefits to include health care. So what happens between these dreams and

  • You're ready for war; is your family?

    With the surge in Afghanistan, every member of Team Travis is involved in the war this year, here or downrange, one way or another. Your awesome performance in the Operational Readiness Inspection last year showed everyone you are up to the task. But you still have to ask yourself if you've provided

  • Resiliency can make life more joyful

    Resiliency is a term that is becoming a more common theme in the news and in our Air Force. With the operations tempo not slowing down, and the demands on our Airmen and their families, we are expected to be able to "bounce back." According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is

  • A striking difference

    What wizard came up with the mathematics of bowling? If you knock down nine pins per frame, you get 90. If you knock down ten you get 300! A 12-pin difference triples your score! Life is like that too. A little extra adds up. Almost everyone I know has too much to do. Going to work, driving home,

  • Home from the Holidays

    Last week, I sat in on a safety briefing explaining the findings of two fatality investigations. These briefings have unfortunately become somewhat routine for commanders, first sergeants and safety staffs. We continue to struggle with the No. 1 cause of Airman fatalities: alcohol-related motor

  • What a difference our military oath makes

    After 36 years as an Airman serving our great nation, my wife and I have made the tough decision to transition to a service calling with our civilian partners. Since this transition is coming up quickly, this will be my last guest commander's corner.There are many things you learn during a career in

  • Holiday heresy

    Christmas catalogues are flowing into our mailbox like confetti at a ticker tape parade. We got on someone's list and now the recycling bin is brimming with glossy printed pages telling us what to buy and how much we'll save if we do buy - that never made sense to me. This year, Christmas will be

  • Our fighting spirit remains strong

    There are events in our military history that define each generation of warriors. This past week marked the 68th anniversary of the attacks on military installations in Hawaii. Following the surprise attacks Dec. 7, 1941, our nation spurred into action to defend freedom not just for our country, but

  • Stumbling in the arena

    Theodore Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives