COMMENTARY SEARCH

  • Airmen: Are you taking care of them?

    Many years ago I was just starting out as a young flight chief and senior NCO. I had traveled back east to attend the Maintenance Production Superintendent Course and was headed back home.  After I dropped off my rental car I hopped on the bus that would take me back to the terminal.  It is this

  • Partnership: the F-35 Way

    A few years back, I went on a 365 day deployment and was struck by the international cooperation going into the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.  On a daily basis, I coordinated with folks from the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and France.  On a routine basis, I worked with Canadians

  • Humility in Leadership

    The definition of humility is "the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people." This is not a trait we commonly attribute to our leaders.  In fact, when we think of a leadership role we often imagine one who is telling others what to do and how to do it with the confidence

  • The "not my problem" problem

    In an Air Force where being a leader at all levels is highly encouraged, it is becoming increasingly disturbing to me that people just do not seem to care. They are so focused on their particular area of responsibility, that when something new or unknown arises, they routinely brush it off as "not

  • Do your goals match your dreams?

    As a young man I grew up in a not so great area of San Antonio, Texas.  My parents were not perfect people but they did invest in me.  They taught me the basics and to be a man of my word. We were a family of little means but my parents instilled values and morals in me.  I say this to bring to

  • Get out of the Dorms

    One of the biggest issues with today's generation is getting out of bed and away from electronics.  That said, the military today is no different. Any Airman living in the dorms what plans they have for the weekend, most of the time you will get an answer similar to "Videogames and Netflix."  Don't

  • Honest Feedback

    In each of our offices or shops, we work alongside some of the brightest and hardest working people in the world. We work long hours in all types of adverse conditions together. In our downtime, we get to know each other and each other's families personally. We build relationships, dare I say

  • #YOLO

    While unpacking from another permanent change of station, I came across a folder filled with clippings I have been carrying around with me since my early days in the Air Force.  Flipping through it, I stopped on one of my favorites, a commentary written 18 years ago by Army Colonel Mark Blum. In the

  • Why do you serve?

    What we saw on the morning of September 11, 2001, changed America forever. This was an unprovoked murder of 3,000 people, simply because they were American. There was a story written about a two year old girl named Christine Lee Hanson which hits home when I read it because I have a two year old

  • Balance

    Whether we're talking about our life, family, or career, it boils down to balance.  Having a healthy balance is the only way that we can sustain effectiveness.  I can recall times as a young officer when working 14 hours a day was common.  There are times when the mission will drive us to work