An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Commentary Search

  • Humility the mark of true leaders

    One of the best lessons I learned about "true leadership" was from a guy who lost an election.For people too young to remember, the presidential election of 1992 was a hard-fought, cantankerous campaign. One of the issues those opposed to Bill Clinton brought up was that he had managed to avoid

  • Spiritual resiliency: How to think about the holidays

    Have you ever noticed that we are called "human beings" and not "human doings"? It is something worth thinking about. It seems we are constantly doing and doing more and more. As we approach the holidays I would like to encourage you think more about your being and less about your doing to relieve

  • The B-2 comes to Missouri

    On Dec. 17, 1993, amid much fanfare, the first B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, tail number 88-0329, landed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. While the flight from Edwards AFB, Calif. had been a relatively short trip for the aircrew, the journey to field the bomber at Whiteman had taken years.That journey

  • A Time to be Thankful

    Strikers,In 1621, the Pilgrims set aside a day to be thankful for a plentiful harvest after surviving a devastating winter.This year we, too, have much to be thankful for. We are blessed to live in a country where we enjoy freedom many others do not possess. This freedom came at a high price for our

  • Five Propositions Regarding Nuclear Weapons

    In 1990, the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Michael Dugan, was frustrated that many Airmen could not articulate the virtues and key characteristics of airpower. He issued an open challenge to his senior staff to distill the essence of air power into a set of axioms condensed enough to fit on a

  • The quality of our lives is based upon the quality of our rituals

    Over the last year I've been on a quest to identify and highlight simple success strategies that, if followed, will increase career success.Where does one start on the path to becoming successful?Some would say, "habits," but it goes farther than that. Habits are repeatable actions that we don't

  • Fly, Fight, Win

    It was 95 years ago at precisely 11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918, the "war to end all wars" came to a termination of hostilities after the death and wounding of millions of veterans. One year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day with this statement: "To us in America, the

  • 'Good' is the new 'average'

    In today's ultra-competitive environment, being "good" is the new "average." We must continually progress toward being "excellent" and "outstanding." Each tip below, when applied with consistent effort, will put you on a path to continued success. If all you do is give each a passing glance, or try

  • Resiliency: The ability to 'bounce back'

    Lock him in prison, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snow drifts of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Deafen a genius composer, and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven. Raise him in utter poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Have him born into a society filled with racial

  • 25 years of service before self

    "Humility or humiliation." That is a maxim that Col. Max B. Mitchell has held himself to for 25 years of service in the U.S. Air Force; a maxim for which I had the honor of learning firsthand from him. Col. Max "Myway" Mitchell officially retired from the U.S. Air Force Oct. 11, after serving as the