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Commentary Search

  • Different can be good

    Often, Airmen will ask me for my opinion on joint basing and my standard response is that joint basing is different. Sometimes different can be challenging, but sometimes different can be good. And sometimes different is just different. Each joint base is structured and governed in a way that is

  • Airmen are just like new cars

    I've been fortunate enough to have some really great mentors over the course of my career. One mentor, whom I'll never forget, really had a way of taking complicated philosophy and breaking it down so that even I could understand it. I remember one particular late afternoon mentoring session back

  • Innovative Airmen…Airlift Excellence…Respect For All

    The men and women of the 62nd Airlift Wing are off and running in 2014. The ink on 2013 is barely dry and already our Airmen are hard at work around the world. From Afghanistan to the Central African Republic and soon back down to Antarctica, our Airmen truly epitomize airpower's Global Reach. We

  • AMC commander, chief send well holiday wishes

    As we continue through this holiday season and approach the new year, Ricki and I, along with Chief Kaiser and Debbie, want to share how extremely proud we are of you - our mobility Airmen and the mission you accomplish every day. Thank you for all you do in support of our great nation.Whether

  • Your security clearance and you

    You just submitted your security clearance package, what happens next? Your clearance package is sent to the Central Adjudication Facility to conduct checks in the following areas: financial, criminal, residences, psychological, foreign travel, Central Intelligence Agency, education, drug, alcohol,

  • How are your motorcycle riding skills?

    Being a motorcycle rider for many years - first on a sport bike and now a cruiser - I have been asked many times, "How long have you been riding?" And my answer has been, "It's not the years that count but the miles you have ridden that gains experience." Motorcycles are fun to ride, but that's not

  • We need to get back to basics with our communication

    Have you ever been blindsided by your boss wanting to know why you didn't get something done that he or she sent to you via email? Have you ever blindsided one of your Airmen? How effective was the communication? In today's day and age, it is easier to send an e-mail request than it is to pick up

  • To have a "perfect" Thanksgiving, focus on what really matters: the mistakes

    If you want the perfect Thanksgiving, remember this: what time you eat doesn't matter, the table setting doesn't matter, who wins the football game doesn't matter, and most importantly, the food doesn't really matter. What matters are the shared moments with our friends and families, and the warm

  • Dinosaurs and Baseball -- a Lesson in Innovation and Heritage

    Congrats to the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox! Now, before I get inundated with calls from die-hard Cardinals fans (the hometown team for our very own Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill.), let me explain where I'm going here. The Red Sox latest championship reminded me of the 2011

  • Have you “made it”?

    Back where I'm from, it is believed that once you have gotten into the Air Force you've made it.Do you feel like you've made it? In the past, I have leisurely debated that question in my mind. But it wasn't until this week that someone asked me if I feel satisfied, fulfilled, accomplished, or do I