Commentary Search

  • AFOSI helps those traveling abroad via AF Portal

    As foreign travel increases within the DOD community, the risk of foreign intelligence targeting also increases. You can be the target of a foreign intelligence or security service at any time and any place; however, the possibility of becoming the target of foreign intelligence activities is

  • Suicide prevention amongst wingmen

    Some battle scars are not easily observed, physical injuries are obvious but those associated with emotional pain and suffering can often stay hidden to the casual observer until it's too late. September was Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, throughout Air Combat Command and the Department of

  • To serve with honor

    "FIRING PARTY! TENCH HUT! READUP HACE! ... Not quite up to par. Start over." That was about the tempo of my first week assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing Base Honor Guard. Welcome to the life of the new guy.I remember stepping through the front door of the honor guard building my first day of

  • Suicide prevented by individuals

    September is Suicide Prevention Month and Airmen are reminded to take care of themselves and their wingmen through difficult times.Though Airmen might consider suicide for many reasons including a recent loss, relationship turmoil, legal problems and financial stress, preventing an otherwise

  • Why I give

    I was sitting in a daze in a cold and uninviting waiting area outside an emergency operating room about one month before my high school graduation in 2005. I listened to the robotic beeps of medical machinery when I realized my life was about to change forever. Earlier that night, I was sitting on

  • On 9/11 I had one question: Where's my Mom?

    "Where's my mom?"I struggled to gain my composure and rally the strength needed to dial the number to my home, where my mom should have been. A precocious 14 year old, I stood frantically waiting for a response; some hint that my mother was okay.My mother was a flight attendant for American Airlines

  • Setting the standard consistently, every day

    We often talk about setting the standards for our Airmen to follow and holding them accountable when they fail to do so. In my opinion, the best way to teach adherence to the standards is through example. This became painfully clear to me one summer morning at unit PT. Back in 2009, when I was a

  • Power surge: Why energy drinks are too much

    Service members who rely on stimulant-cocktail energy drinks to keep alert on duty increase their risk for significant, lifelong health issues, say research scientists. According to the Center for Disease Control, about 45 percent of Service members downrange use energy drinks to stay awake. There

  • Hunted: Desert evasion with SERE

    Staff Sgt. Tim Emkey sat back in his chair clicking slowly through a slide presentation behind a small group of Airmen assembled around a table. "Can anybody tell me the two types of frostbite?" he asked.Blank stares were exchanged among the six Airmen of the 66th Rescue Squadron, sitting in a dark

  • An Air Force without contracting

    Imagine the Air Force without contracting.Although it's often behind the scenes, contracting of products and services is a major component that allows the military to function. Without it, Dyess wouldn't be much more than the men and women who make up its ranks."Literally everything you see comes