COMMENTARY SEARCH

  • 308th FS rich history, poignant ending

    After 21 years of continuous service as an F-16 Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, the 308th Fighter Squadron, recently recognized the 2014 Top Fighter Squadron in the 56th Operations Group, will close its doors this summer.Given this sad fact, it is only appropriate that this week's

  • Bring 'invisible class' into view

    When I was a young boy, my father explained to me that there was dignity in work. He told me to always respect the worker regardless of how thankless or menial their job may appear to be. He said that you never know the burdens a person may be carrying, or the family members that may be relying on

  • Set S.M.A.R.T. goals for success

    "Goals are dreams with deadlines." ~ Diana Scharf HuntWhat personal or professional goals do you want to achieve this year? Do you want to run a marathon? Do you want to make that next rank?Goal setting is a powerful tool that can turn a vision of the future into reality. Top athletes and successful

  • Find inspiration all around for daily grind

    SHAZAM!That is the war cry of the 56th Operations Support Squadron. It comes from the comic book character Captain Marvel, who was introduced back in 1939.SHAZAM is an acronym of six Greek and Roman gods and heroes, each defining a special ability that the superhero possesses. There is Solomon for

  • Forgetting past leads to repeating it

    On Jan. 17, 1991, Operation Desert Storm was initiated by the U.S. to liberate Kuwait from the forces of Saddam Hussein, the Iraq dictator.Leading up to this event, Hussein had invaded the country of Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990. He targeted Kuwait due to its extensive supply of oil and his belief that

  • Raise a hand to volunteer

    When you hear the word volunteer, you usually associate it with fundraisers, Red Cross organizations, community projects or base functions. We do not usually think about the work itself.From the time I entered the Air Force I remember being told never to raise your hand to volunteer until you knew

  • Invest in leadership development

    A few months ago during a breakfast with the squadron commander and a group of Airmen, an airman first class asked the commander, "What are some traits of a good leader?"I was amazed that a young Airman was thinking about leadership at 7 a.m. on a Friday. It was not only that she was thinking about

  • Let's be an all-volunteer force

    Well, we made it through the holiday season. Hopefully we have all reset and are ready to rock and roll this year.By now we should be well into fulfilling the New Year's resolutions that we set in place to improve ourselves. I'm sure you are hitting the gym more or maybe just starting to. Maybe you

  • Stay out of rain; see bigger picture

    Supervisors, you build and lead teams to the best of your abilities. You hold an umbrella of protection over your people, but what do you do when one of your members runs into the rain via a bad decision? Do you take your protective umbrella from other members to go cover your solo member? Or do you

  • Financial responsibility -- vital to readiness

    In the "Band of Brothers" miniseries, there is a line in the movie where the soldiers are told to make sure they sign up for life insurance to ensure their next-of-kin gets $10,000 upon the soldier's death. While none of us are about to make a combat jump in 1944 to fight the Nazis, Airmen still