Commentary Search

  • What is an Airman?

    As a former military training instructor, I saw many trainees graduate basic training and become Airmen. They became very different people from the time they arrived at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. They had a sense of pride and honor knowing they had become part of the Air Force family. Even

  • Complete don’t just compete

    The spirit of competition is alive and well in today's Air Force. As enlisted Airmen, competition is all around us. We compete with other Airmen for promotions, awards, special duties, and top graduate accolades to name a few. Competition can bring out the best and worst in people. I want to discuss

  • Embody Air Force Core Values in all we do

    As I visit the outstanding men and women of Team Beale, I am impressed with their pride and professionalism when accomplishing the mission. Col. Phil Stewart's mission statement provides clear guidance on his expectations for each one of us. The mission of the 9th RW is to train, deploy, and employ

  • Are you a Proactive or Reactive Leader?

    I often hear supervisors talking about taking care of their Airmen; how they backed their Airmen while they were in trouble, gave on the spot feedback after observing them doing something wrong, even how they would make sure their EPR was a strong firewall five when the EPR was due. Those

  • We’ve always done it that way

    Have you ever happened upon a new unit and as a part of your orientation your trainer explains how to do a process or procedure and you wondered to yourself, hmmm? When you ask the question, "Why do you do this?" The trainer says, "We've always done it this way." You accept the explanation because

  • My Job is Prosecuting Sexual Assault

    Here's a simple truth...sexual offenders reject our core values of integrity, service and excellence, in favor of following their own base, undisciplined, criminal desires. Most sexual assaults committed by Airmen are "blue on blue," or Airmen victimizing other Airmen. So in addition to rejecting

  • Dental Anxiety: Do I Have It?

    Do you fear the dentist? Do you feel that you have "white coat syndrome" where you fear any medical provider? If you have all or some of these feelings, you might have dental anxiety. Some of the most common causes of dental anxiety include, previous unpleasant experiences, hearing about unpleasant

  • What motivates you to be a better Airman

    This year I had the privilege to attend the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In Convention at Oshkosh, Wis. It was such a thrill to spend a few days with thousands of fellow aircraft enthusiasts, all ogling over the latest and greatest technology in general aviation, as well as some beautiful

  • Integrity First, Last and Always

    Our Air Force family has suffered more than its share of black eyes over the past few months, from major sexual assault scandals at Basic Training to cheating incidents at the Air Force Academy. I also have the sad duty to attend quarterly Air Combat Command fatality briefings. Almost all of the

  • Leadership at all levels

    The factors which differentiate a proficient leader from a superb leader among their peers can be illustrated by their ability to recognize the significance of inspiration as well as their aptitude for capitalizing on the power found in cultivating the aspirations of their fellow wingmen.