1 May 2008

Providing support on the frontlines

If you were asked which profession has done the most to increase the average life span of people, the first logical response might be doctors. After all, their medicines cure the sick and their surgeries help the afflicted. But if you said that, you'd be wrong. It turns out that engineers have had the greatest impact on living longer than any other

11 Apr 2008

Climate Assessments -- your unit, your voice

"The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail." I believe this quote from Charles R. Swindoll speaks to an ideal attitude about unit climate assessment participation. You may think that your input doesn't matter or that you will not make a difference in the overall success of your unit. However, that thought

4 Apr 2008

Zero tolerance -- that's our standard

Here at Kadena, we recently celebrated Women's History Month and African-American Heritage month. Two weeks ago we enjoyed Spring Fest at Marek Park with an early kick-off to the Month of the Military Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month. Those of us who have been in the Air Force for a few years know that celebrating diversity and proactively

2 Apr 2008

Leadership...not just from the top

Leadership is an often talked about subject. Corporations pay large sums of money for those they perceive have it. A cottage industry of selling leadership textbooks and giving self improvement seminars is thriving. Fortunately, we don't have to spend a lot of money on a manual, travel to a distant lecture or attend a corporate board room meeting.

28 Mar 2008

Combat public affairs: a day in the life

What began as a routine MC-130 flight to snap photographs of special tactics personnel jumping from the aircraft into the waters of the Yellow Sea, quickly became a combat search and rescue mission. You see, I was a passenger aboard an aircraft belonging to the 353rd Special Operations Group, a group of members who had traveled to Daegu for our

20 Mar 2008

Sacrifices of an American military wife through the years

Since the birth of our nation, women have made tremendous sacrifices in support of our country. This is especially true of the American military wife. As any military wife will tell you, being "married to the military" under the best circumstances requires patience, understanding and flexibility. With the never-ending rotation of deployments,

7 Mar 2008

Women’s History Month: How things have changed

The month of March commemorates Women's History Month. It is a time to reflect on women's extraordinary contributions, especially those made to the U.S. Armed Forces. Women have come a long way since 1948 when Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act. In the beginning, women were automatically discharged if they became pregnant;

29 Feb 2008

In the same family business for more than 65 years

My family has been in the same business for more than 65 years now. It started with my grandfather in 1941. He handed it off to my father in 1976 and my father handed it to me in 2001. Some families run restaurants or bakeries. Some families own and operate their own auto shops or construction businesses. My family business is the Air Force. My

8 Feb 2008

Airman after wreck: ‘I have no business being alive’

In the early morning hours of Nov. 26 a pickup truck traveling westbound on Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle hydroplaned off the road. It spun 180 degrees and traveled backward down a steep embankment into a tree line. The vehicle came to a violent stop after hitting a tree on the passenger side. Insurance estimates considered the accident a

18 Jan 2008

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King

When I was born in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King's life was almost over. He set the stage for how Americans live and interact today. Before Dr. King and the civil rights movement, blacks were relegated to second-class citizen status. I recall my mother and father picking cotton to make ends meet, because they couldn't get any other employment. The