HomeNewsCommentaries

Commentary Search

  • The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) has streamlined the foreign travel briefing program to better serve active-duty Air Force members and Department of the Air Force civilian employees within ACC. Members are required to complete a foreign travel pre-brief survey any time they travel abroad.

    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 greater when you travel overseas. The foreign
  • The Department of Defense recognizes Suicide Prevention Awareness Month every September. The Air Force uses the ACE program to identify and get help for suicidal wingmen. ACE stands for: Ask directly, "Are you thinking of killing yourself?"; Care, intervene or control the situation; Escort them to a primary care provider, Chaplain or mental health professional. The easiest resource for active duty members is calling the mental health clinic at (919) 722-1883. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Senior Airman Aubrey White)

    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 Defense.Airmen must demonstrate a collective
  • U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs photojournalist, recently completed a three-month commitment to the 4th FW Honor Guard. Honor guardsmen primarily perform military honors at official base functions and Service member’s funerals. To volunteer for the 4th FW Honor Guard, call 919-722-7019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho)

    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 training, my mind bubbling with curiosity. What are the
  • Between 2001 and 2009, approximately 33,000 deaths occurred from suicide in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Suicide is one of the top five causes of death for adults under the age of 45, and claimed more lives than motor vehicle traffic-related injuries. With September being Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Airmen are reminded to take care of themselves and their wingmen through difficult times. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/RELEASED)

    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 temporary problem from escalating to suicide starts at
  • U.S. Air Force Col. Lamar Pettus, 4th Fighter Wing vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Craver, 4th FW command chief, sign their pledge forms to kick off the annual Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Sept. 23, 2013. The CFC provides members of Team Seymour the opportunity to donate to more than 20,000 charities. With the campaign lasting until Oct. 28, the 4th FW goal aims to raise $230,000 this year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brittain Crolley)

    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 the couch watching TV when I heard panicked
  • Senior Airman Katie Johnson and her mother Carolyn Maricle receive the President of the United States at Dallas/Love Field Airport, Texas April 17, 2013 before the opening of the George W. Bush presidential library.

    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 when two of their jets crashed into the World
  • Senior Airman Angela Duff, 62nd Aerial Port Squadron, runs on a pathway along Heritage Hill April 19 as part of her daily routine. Revisions to the Air Force fitness programs take effect July 1, 2010. These modifications, improvements, and upgrades will bring about some of the most significant changes to fitness standards in the last five years and shift a greater level of responsibility for maintaining year-round physical fitness to all Airmen. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Abner Guzman)

    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 technical sergeant stationed at Patrick Air Force
  • Susan Sisneros, Exchange employee, restocks energy drinks Aug. 26, 2013 at Fort Eustis, Va. About 44.8 percent of deployed Service members have at least one energy drink a day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Austin Harvill/Released)

    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 are other ways to stay alert without reliance on
  • Capt. Bret Cove (left) and Capt. Kyle Wamser (right), 66th Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk pilots, establish coordinates on a map during a survival, evasion, resistance, escape familiarization training Aug. 23, 2013, at Area 2, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The training educates Airmen who have been determined to be at a high risk of isolation the methods used to survive in the arctic, desert, open ocean, jungle and mountain regions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brett Clashman)

    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 room illuminated only by a projector screen on
  • A worker from a contracting company builds the walls of the new firing range Aug. 12, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The $4.5 million renovation is one of the many projects that the 7th Contracting Squadron oversees. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Autumn Velez/Released)

    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 from contracting," said 1st Lt. Michael Murrow 7th
RSS