Commentaries

  • Innovation- simple solutions to change the system

    When you hear the word "innovation," what comes to mind? Some may see technicians in white lab coats, searching for the cure for cancer. Others might visualize the newest sports car, put through its paces on a test track. But innovation such as this is rare. More often than not, innovation is

  • High Risk Activities and Line of Duty: Be Safe, Be Prepared

    Do your summer leave plans include mountain climbing, skydiving or white water rafting? If they do, then as an Airman you have the responsibility to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you. Mountain climbing, skydiving and white water rafting are three of the 26 "high-risk" activities

  • Security awareness

    Have you ever heard the phrase: "Call the cops! It's their job!" In reality, installation security is the job of everyone working in and around an Air Force base and its resources. Although my fellow cops are the most conspicuous people on the base, we can't be everywhere and that's where you come

  • Mentorship is a two-way street

    General Dwight D. Eisenhower was once asked, "How does one develop as a decision maker?" His response was, "Be around people making decisions." Gen. Eisenhower's answer reflects his belief that successful leaders are shaped by those around them. Mentorship is one of the primary responsibilities of

  • New Year's resolutions make better Airmen

    Did you make a New Year's resolution? According to a FranklinCovey Products survey, the top three New Year's resolutions for 2009 are to (1) get out of debt or save money, (2) lose weight and (3) develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. This list got me thinking about how habits and

  • Adapt to winter conditions to avoid injury

    Freezing precipitation turning to sleet, hail and then snow with a wind chill down to negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Ahhh ... winter on the Great Plains - no wonder buffalo have such thick pelts. Thankfully, your ice and snow removal teams are out working literally around the clock. As many as 20

  • First-hand Experience

    Not long ago, I attended Combat Skills Training at Fort Bliss, Texas in preparation for an Operation Enduring Freedom deployment to Afghanistan. Most of the course instructors had "been there and done that" - seen it with their own eyes. A few had not, and even those of us new to Army training could

  • Equal treatment requires equal feedback, good and bad

    Giving or receiving performance feedback is easy when an employee is meeting or exceeding expectations. However, it's much more difficult to give or receive negative feedback . By "negative feedback" I mean informal counseling up to minor disciplinary action and by "employee" I include military or

  • Go back to basics in aircraft maintenance

    A high operations tempo is having a negative impact throughout our Air Force, causing a need to get B2B (back to basics) for doing our jobs. It is very common to make mistakes when under pressure in a demanding environment. In aircraft maintenance small mistakes can have huge impacts on the mission

  • Learn from heritage to broaden our horizons

    Last year during our Air Force's 60th anniversary celebrations, we adopted a slogan titled "Heritage to Horizons." Although to some it was just a clichéd advertising campaign, to me and many other Airmen it was a call to action. In the history of our great Air Force, we have had many heroes. Some