Commentary Search

  • A dose of happiness goes a long way

    It is hard for me to believe that my military service began over two decades ago. It seems like only yesterday when I was at the MEPS station.Now as I dip my toes gingerly intothe fresh waters of 2010, it is the beginningof another decade of service and it's timefor some refreshing change. This new

  • A Call to Serve

    This past week we took time out, as we always do on Veteran's Day, to pay special tribute to the millions of veterans who served and are still serving this great nation.From Private Frank Buckles, who at age 108 is the last known surviving World War I veteran, to the youngest recruit who took a

  • Dog tags identify more than the present

    My first instructor at U.S. Air Force pilot training barked: "Always wear your dog tags when you fly so we'll know who you are." Since I feared the guy, I did as I was told. Those two small disks, embossed with my name, social security number, blood type and religion have almost always dangled

  • Mentoring

    Recently, someone asked me if I would consider being their mentor. This prompted me to examine many things about the request; from whether I would accept the responsibility of having a mentee, to the meaning of the word mentor. Today, mentoring might be described as the activities conducted by a

  • An educated warrior reinforces core values

    "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. --John F. Kennedy" Our Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, recently said "In our professional development, we must remain mindful of the lessons of the past, while we continue to prevail everywhere our enemies choose to engage."

  • Movies during the holidays

    Christmas time is my favorite movie season. There are so many classic movies that never fail to touch something deep inside of me. Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" and Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" are treasures to be watched at least once if not twice, not to mention all of the great

  • Thoughts on Patriotism

    In a general way, patriotism means love of country -- love of one's country or one's homeland. Look deep into the patriot, and we find core values. I suggest that these core values are more similar than different, when compared across boundaries of politics, economics, language, and other cultural

  • Maintaining the fleet is part of history and national security

    I recently had the opportunity to be a witness to living history at the 40th Bomber Group Reunion held in Saint Louis.I listened to some of the most amazing stories told by some of the most amazing men and women from "The Greatest Generation". As I listened to them, I couldn't help but think of the

  • An editorial on promotions

    As an enlisted member, who in our Air Force Reserve does not want to get promoted? Our culture has changed quite a bit in today's Air Force Reserve. Today's airmen are smarter and more technologically sound than most of our seasoned (experienced) airmen. The expectations of our young NCOs and SNCOs

  • Dynamics in the desert

    Asked what I have learned during this deployment, I can think of several things. The most significant realization is that I was profoundly a part of something much bigger than myself. Let me first say that I think prior to departing, we instinctively took responsibility for our families and