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  • It's not about me

    I was raised in Lima, Peru in a household where food was scarce, I shared a bed with three siblings and my grandmother and the clothes were hand-me-downs. I learned to appreciate my family and the little things. Although migrating to America at the age of 10 was one of the smartest moves my family

  • Searching for Private First Class Roberto L. Lopez

    This is a brief and microscopic view of another person’s service.When I started military service in 1993, I was given an artifact with a story behind it. It was a Silver Star in an old, worn case. The story came from his relatives who said it belonged to an uncle, Roberto L. Lopez. The name was

  • Through the eyes of our veterans

    Recently, I had the good fortune to share a meal with a gentleman who had been a prisoner of war as a child during World War II, and went on to serve as an Airman here at Travis Air Force Base. Soon after this meeting, Ken Burn’s latest documentary, Vietnam, was released telling the story of that

  • Strive for perfection, settle for excellence

    To err is human, as we are not inherently perfect. Nevertheless, if we chase perfection, excellence is a probable outcome. To pursue perfection, we must elevate risk to the appropriate level, proactively avoid complacency and learn from honest mistakes. We must strive for perfection—cognizant it’s

  • A simple thank you goes a long way

    In today’s instant gratification world, we are easily disgruntled if something doesn’t happen immediately. Because we are used to our cell phones and social media, we have become less and less inclined to deal with the human element of the mission.

  • Are you ready?

    Growing up in the Midwest, I loved to play sports. In fact, there wasn’t a sport I wasn’t fond of. However, the sport I loved most and was best at, was football. In middle school, I was on the field the majority of the game because of my boundless, natural gifts and abilities. Oh, and the fact we