Aug. 7, 2018 Growing strong This past June, I reported in to Travis Air Force Base, California. As I drove through the main gate, I thought back to my experience 14 years earlier when I drove through the same gate as a second lieutenant.
Aug. 1, 2018 Generations of time: The oath of enlistment It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but rewinding the clock 18 years–in the hot, summer sun of 2000–I had joined hundreds of other Airmen on a parade field at what was then called Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
June 5, 2018 Rock star’s lesson one to absorb for career, life Michael Stipe seems like an unlikely source for life and career advice.Stipe was the lead singer of the great, defunct American rock band R.E.M. You’ve probably heard their music in hit songs such as “Losing My Religion,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Man on the Moon,” “It’s the End of the World As We Know It
June 5, 2018 Unbowed, unbent, unbroken Full spectrum readiness has been a priority among our Air Force leaders and has translated into countless exercises, numerous training hours in mission-oriented protective posture gear, and realistic scenarios to ensure we are able to respond to any threat anywhere in the world. But what does this
June 4, 2018 “That’s just the way we do it” is not a good answer I’ve been lucky in my career so far to instruct on three different aircraft and serve in the contingency response world. I started off flying C-21As (LearJets) doing distinguished visitor travel, then transitioned to the C-130 E/H doing airland and airdrop missions. I’ve also flown on air-refueling
May 30, 2018 Good, not dumb A favorite quote of mine is from “Space Balls,” the 1987 movie parody of “Star Wars.” In it, the villain Dark Helmet, says, “Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.”
May 2, 2018 Trust: The foundation of a high performing organization Trust is an intangible characteristic based on a belief that the person, group or organization bestowed with that trust will act in the best interests of those who have faithfully provided it. Trust is the bedrock upon which the Air Force functions.
May 2, 2018 Be the leader we remember In my 25 years in the Air Force, I have had the opportunity to work with many types of leaders. The leaders I remember most are the ones who weren’t afraid to make decisions. Many times, I found that people waivered and failed to make a move because it might be unpopular or be an uncomfortable
April 24, 2018 Military children serve alongside parents Being in mission oriented protective posture gear “sucking rubber” may not be the best part of your military career—or maybe it is. But try doing a post-attack reconnaissance sweep with a child tagging along with you.
April 24, 2018 Life as summer child gives perspective on the winds of winter I heard a statistic recently that made me stop and think: Over 80 percent of the Airmen in our Air Force today came into the service after the fateful events of 9/11.