• Let's add 'family' to 'service before self'

    Recently I had the privilege of meeting with Chief Master Sgt. Rodney Ellison, Air Education and Training Command's Command Chief Master Sergeant, upon my graduation from the Senior NCO Academy. The chief passed on a message from Gen. William R. Looney III, AETC commander, "It's your duty to take

  • Give children a brake: Slow down in base housing

    Like many first-time fathers-to-be, I find myself paying closer attention to traffic laws and regulations in anticipation of my precious new passenger. Yellow stoplights no longer mean "floor it," and speeding and weaving in and out of lanes just to get to my destination a few seconds quicker isn't

  • Warriors don't always wear uniforms

    A few years ago, I was serving alongside active-duty and reserve Airmen in a declared combat zone, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. There I got the full picture of what my service to this country was all about. There, I was no longer just a civilian doing my job. I was a needed asset to the mission,

  • Air Force life ... a season of change, customs and courtesies ageless as ever

    I remember attending basic communications technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base in September of 1987. Our training squadron and the rest of the base for that matter was preparing for the Air Force's 40th anniversary. My role in the celebration was to display a flag in a ceremony honoring the

  • Two axioms from an old man

    Hopefully we all have had a sage old veteran pass some age old advice to us. I did when I was a young second lieutenant. He was my group commander at the time and I consider him my first mentor in the Air Force. Colonel X, as I will call him, ended his very successful career as a 30-year colonel. He

  • Why we run -- It helps us be fit to accomplish mission

    I hate running. Running makes every part of my body hurt -- knees, lower back, lungs ... even my teeth. I'll admit, I may be getting old and decrepit, but running hurt when I first joined the Air Force, too. So, why do I run? First, the Air Force adopted the 1.5-mile run standard to test and measure

  • On that day … An officer's reminder of why the national anthem plays

    It was a hot Tuesday afternoon. I was leaving Bldg. 402 after updating my base vehicle sticker. As I walked toward the double-glass doors leading to the parking lot, I encountered a small group of people standing just inside the door -- two Airmen, a civilian employee and one captain. As I reached

  • Who's responsible for morale, quality of life?

    In the last 27 years, I can't even remember how many times I've overheard discussions about morale or quality of life. I've heard everything from official briefs at commander's calls to gripe sessions in the shop. The usual meat of the subject is that unit leadership is the key to high morale and

  • To be successful leaders we must constantly evolve

    Leadership is often thought of as a skill that's developed gradually, but I disagree. In my journey through the ranks, I've often wondered how our systematic approach to officer development translates to actual leadership growth. The Air Force promotes gradual increases in responsibility and

  • Successful separation preparation - one CGO's lessons learned

    I'll be honest. I was irked when I learned about Force Shaping. It was certainly not in my plans to have to face the decision to bail on the Air Force I love or face the possibility of being forced out of it so early in my career. But instead of staying mad and grumbling quietly, I decided to take

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