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  • Great job Kadena

    I've been in command for six weeks now and am continually impressed by the teamwork I see across the base. While the 18th Wing is the core of Team Kadena, it is only 5,500 people; it takes the other active duty members, civilians, host nationals and family members totaling almost 25,000 to make the

  • Embracing adversity

    Five years ago, when faced with life-threatening cancer and an end to my flying career, I suffered the hopelessness and despair that can come when coping with adversity, and so I recognize sometimes it's not easy to deal when life take a turn for the worse. Martin Luther King said the measure of a

  • Celebrate the sacrifices

    This week we celebrated the birth of our country and the sacrifices of those who secured the liberties we hold dear today. Let us not forget that our nation was forged by noble ideas, as well as violent battles. Two hundred thirty-one years ago, members of the Continental Congress met on a

  • Fourth of July

    The FOURTH of JULY...even saying it out loud makes me feel good and smile! The Middle of the Summer...baseball....hotdogs...ice cream...maybe a Parade or a round of Golf...BUT always ending with FIREWORKS! Yes, the Misawa Airmen will remind me of the sea fog and fireworks sometimes pushed off to

  • One Bad Decision – One lifetime of costs

    In the early morning hours of May 5, 2007, I made what could very well be the worst decision of my life. It has definitely been the worst decision of my Air Force career. Around 2 a.m. I decided to drive from a friend's house to my house in Okinawa City, simply because I couldn't sleep. It's about a

  • More than a job

    Nine students from the Kadena Language Institute recently worked as interns in various base locations such as public affairs; services marketing; Information, Tickets and Travel; Karing Kennels; the youth center; Risner Fitness Center; arts and crafts center and the Banyan Tree Golf Course. I was

  • Feedback: A form of guidance we can’t do without

    Most people do not fail on purpose. People usually fail for one of three reasons: lack of training, lack of resources, or lack of guidance. As supervisors, guidance is one of the most important actions we can take to ensure the success of our people. Guidance in the form of written feedback is an

  • Memorial Day is a time to thank those who have come before

    More than a million American service members have died in the wars and conflicts this nation fought since the first colonial soldiers took up arms in 1775 to fight for independence. Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine who died fighting in these conflicts was someone's son or daughter, father or

  • Fostering Airmen's initiative

    Being an engineer, I tend to view the world through an engineer's eye. For instance, I see initiative much as I would view inertia. Inertia is when an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and an object at rest tends to stay at rest. To me, initiative works the same way. If you create an

  • Farewell Team Kadena

    Our time here in the 18th Wing has been far too short, but nevertheless, an awesome experience as part of Team Kadena. We could not be more proud. Let me reflect on your accomplishments: Airmen engaged in the Global War on Terror from Afghanistan and Iraq to the Philippines; from Nicaragua to