Commentaries

  • Commander Bids Farewell after 34 year career

    It seems like it was just yesterday that I left Detroit with great anticipation to enter the Air Force and begin flight training. As I look back on the past 33 years, I realize that my Air Force experience was even more exciting than I could have imagined! I certainly never thought that one day I

  • Dedication, drive, desire help Airmen achieve excellence

    On May 3rd 2009, 10 dedicated 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron and six National Airborne Operations Center personnel participated in the Lincoln Marathon. Two of the 14 completed the marathon while others ran or walked the half-marathon. Dedication, drive and desire are the only words that

  • Modern battlefield valor for military leaders

    Throughout history, military leaders routinely engaged in battlefield combat performing heroic and courageous acts, which served to rally their forces and inspire them to achieve victory. Over time, reputations were earned by such leaders until some reached the point where their mere presence on the

  • Understanding consent

    Jim was your typical first-term military member. After three years on active duty he was used to the idea of being out on his own, deploying to support his service and making the most of his off-duty time. One Friday night, Jim was invited to a party. While there, he met up with Jane, a co-worker

  • Differences should be celebrated

    A changing environment is a constant reminder for us to remain flexible and open to new ideas; whether favorable or unfavorable. As the director of the equal opportunity office at Offutt, I was recently caught in the current of change when the equal employment and military equal opportunity offices

  • Doing more with less

    Doing more with less. We've all heard the phrase and I've seen it become a reality over the past 19 years on active duty. When I pinned on my second lieutenant bars, the Air Force had more than 600,000 active-duty Airmen; we were fighting a cold war from permanent bases; Iraq was fighting Iran; no

  • Keep watch for “Silent Tears” of child abuse

    April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to focus on the protection and care of our children. Child Abuse Prevention Month has been observed each April since its first presidential proclamation in 1983. This observance helps citizens across the country and the Offutt community to focus

  • What service means

    During my recent deployment to Afghanistan, the men and women of the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron flew an American flag on a combat mission in honor of the teachers and staff at my daughter's elementary school. After we returned from Afghanistan, the school had the flag framed for

  • Every Airman, family member is important

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, delivered one resounding message during a town hall meeting at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, recently - Every Airman is important. All Airmen are integral to the service's success and no job and no one is more important than another, General Schwartz

  • Does ‘working the system’ really work?

    Have you ever picked up the phone to call in a favor? I think we all have. I actually asked for help with this article since I was running out of time. Thanks to Mike Picard I got it completed. I've called the flight doc to "fit someone in." I've called down to assignments to help along assignments