Commentaries

  • Are You a Renter or an Owner?

    I think it was Larry Summers who once famously said, "In the history of the world, no one has ever washed a rented car." That seemingly simple statement is actually quite astute, for it gets right to the heart of a point I have tried to make in the almost seven years I have been fortunate to serve

  • Leadership by example

    Warrior's of Team Offutt, I would like to take a few minutes of your time to share a bit of my mantra on leadership; specifically leadership by example. As a recent transplant to Offutt from Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, England, I have been bombarded with solicitations to participate in several

  • Why Risk It?

    Labor Day marked the end of the Air Force's 101 Critical Days of Summer for 2009 and I spent that weekend making the streets in Nebraska safer by manning DUI checkpoints with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. According to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety in 2008, 67 Nebraskans died as a result of

  • Consider the dangers of file sharing

    Most of us are familiar with online file sharing programs such as Limewire, Kazaa, BitTorrent and Napster. These programs, also known as "peer-to-peer" or "P2P" programs, allow users from around the world - complete strangers most of the time - to share files on their personal computers. Most people

  • Holistic approach to ORI prep

    Operational readiness inspections, or ORIs, evaluate and measure a unit's ability to perform wartime, contingency or peacetime force sustainment. Inspections require the capabilities and limitations of our people, equipment and procedures be tested, practiced and exercised in order to defend our

  • The Area Defense Counsel--Your advocates in times of need

    You might have seen our photos or read the posters, "the Area Defense Counsel works for you, not the command." But who are we? And what do we do? As you might have guessed, we are active-duty attorneys and paralegals. But unlike the legal professionals at the base legal office, we don't report to or

  • Air Force pride

    Last week I had the privilege to attend a retirement ceremony for an Airman that had just completed two decades of service. It was during this ceremony that I reflected on why I am so proud to serve my country in the armed services and why the Air Force is such a great place to spend 20 years of

  • Pardon our mess

    Construction projects worth more than $80 million are currently underway at Offutt. This much of construction activity causes a lot of mess. We ask that you bear with us as we repair base roads, renovate facilities, build new facilities and demolish others. Our in-house crews are actively repairing

  • Discipline on, off duty: key to successful career, happier life

    Shortly after coming on active duty, I attended a commander's call in which one of the guest speakers was a legal officer. I still remember the opening line of his briefing. He said, "The four things that get Airmen in trouble more than any other are: checks, sex, drugs, alcohol and failure to go."

  • After 33 years of service, ACC vice commander bids farewell

    Teammates, it has been a sincere privilege to have served with you on this, my last and culminating chapter of service. I have learned so much from all of you, and have taken great pride in how selflessly and tirelessly you all have worked as a team in some challenging times to support our boss, our