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Commentary Search

  • Surviving the Crisis

    You have cancer. Feb. 26, 2008, I heard those dreaded words. After a few months of feeling run down, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. With that diagnosis came the expected whirlwind of thoughts: Will I survive? What about my family? Is my career over? Will I ever fly again? What exactly is a

  • Have courage, speak up

    Recently I saw a commercial depicting what appears to be a typical business meeting. An older man, clearly the boss, says something along the lines of "So, we're all agreed--it's a good idea?" To which an employee responds "I think it's a stupid idea." In the next scene, the employee who gave his

  • Mental Spring cleaning

    Spring is in the air! During this time of year cleaning is emphasized, and I'd like to take some time to focus on mental cleaning. By the time this is published, the 90th Missile Wing will be finished with three major inspections. During stressful times such as these, mental preparation is a daily

  • Leading with our hearts

    My father, an Army sergeant major, raised his children to not follow the crowd and to be strong leaders. When one of six children would 'follow the crowd' and commit a wrongdoing; Dad would give his lecture on leadership, often asking, "If they jumped off the bridge, are you going to jump too?" and

  • The 3 'Cs' of leadership

    The word leadership is used often, especially in the military, but what does it mean? I like how leadership author, John C. Maxwell, defines it. Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. I like this definition because it has nothing to do with a title, position or job. Everyone has the

  • My daughter - my hero: A resiliency success story

    As we recognize American Heart Month this February, I am struck by the thought that heroes and role models don't have to be older than we are. I need only look to my 12-year-old daughter Renae. When Renae was a few hours old, she started turning blue. Within a few hours she was diagnosed with a rare

  • Advanced Weapons and Tactics Training - Not for the faint of heart

    There are many requirements we all face when tasked with a deployment. These can range anywhere from medical screenings to weapons qualifications. Each deployment has its own set of special instructions for Airmen to follow.A few months ago, I was tasked with a deployment to Southwest Asia. I was

  • The courage to maximize

    The word leadership may conjure up visions of many people or attributes we believe a leader should possess. Certainly, I prefer some leaders to others, and the few examples here may be extraordinary individuals. My favorite leaders are the successful wartime presidents and other leaders who were

  • Finding the right work-life balance makes all the difference

    As we progress in our Air Force careers we take on more responsibilities, which often times equates to longer hours and increased demands of our time. We begin to face more challenges in our work-life balance that can affect our families and our duty performance. As a command chief, I always use the

  • Budget despair! What can we do to help?

    Recently, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley published a series of four opinion editorials, each alluding to the upcoming budgetary constraints. Unfortunately, our weapons inventories are aging while budgets and manpower are shrinking. Donley, in the first op-ed dated Jan. 8, summed it up: