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  • 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

  • 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.

  • To win, we must be tough, disciplined

    With resource readiness trending to the positive, what about restoring personal readiness? Have any of us really considered what personal attributes we will need to win any fight in any environment? Have you ever asked yourself if you are truly prepared to forward deploy in the harshest of

  • Leaders need resiliency too

    For supervisors at every level, it is easy to live vicariously through our subordinates. Let me give a brief example. Within the last year, my superintendent and I had to deal with a disciplinary situation within the unit. How did we both react to the challenge?

  • Working vs. serving: an important difference

    Every military member takes an oath. Among other things, this oath verbally confirms that each of us will support and defend the Constitution of the United States. This is not merely an occupation, this is a service commitment that requires true dedication and sacrifice.

  • Finding my voice as a quiet leader in a not-so-quiet world

    I have always been quiet and awkward around people which is oftentimes viewed as a negative attribute and is something I have struggled with throughout my 19-year Air Force career. Since I don’t always have much to say out loud, I have endured the common comments and questions about my quietness

  • Staying resilient when 50 percent of your unit deploys

    The 60th Maintenance Squadron was extremely busy in 2017. During the past year, I had the opportunity to be part of numerous high-performing teams. We answered the nation’s call through deploying over 15 percent of our Airmen to overseas contingency operations at locations including the United

  • Travis Toastmasters aids readiness

    I started attending Toastmasters meetings when I first arrived at Travis Air Force Base, California, a year and a half ago to improve my public speaking skills and get involved with other members of the base.When I first started Toastmasters, I felt the usual jitters every time I was asked to speak