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  • Shaking it up: Air Force special duties offer growth

    The definition of insanity is doing something the same way over and over and expecting a different result. Like many, I joined the U.S. Air Force because I was doing the same thing day after day without result.I was 24 and the money for school had dried up. Work wasn't going anywhere. I saw the same

  • Under a foreign sky

    More than a year had passed since I returned from my deployment to Africa, the memories and experiences still fresh in my mind. Africa - to me, will always be a transformational land. Not in the sense that the continent itself is in a constant state of change, but in the fact that I will always

  • Put down the phone, pick up a conversation

    Albert Einstein said, "I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots."I first saw this quote one day on a social networking site, and it was accompanied by several photos of people sitting in social settings with one or more people

  • Enlisted Airmen overcome most stressful job of 2013

    Are you feeling stressed yet?If not, you may soon feel the pressure. According to a report published by CNBC.com, "Enlisted Military Personnel" tops the chart for the most stressful job of 2013.As a new lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, my stress may be coming from the novelty of the job or trying

  • PT excellence, on and off duty

    One way units around the Air Force attempt to keep their Airmen in fighting shape is mandatory group physical training. With more demanding test requirements than ever before, squadron PT isn't enough for most. As a result, there has been an increase in discharges due to Airmen not being able to

  • We can always be better leaders

    I was recently given a wake-up call during a conversation with another member of my organization: I needed to be out there, on the front line, leading all of the Airmen in my unit. We all tend to get wrapped up in our day-to-day jobs. We sometimes forget that as noncommissioned officers and

  • Spiritual fitness for the non-religious

    As Airmen and members of the profession of arms, we've heard numerous times the three pillars of fitness: physical, mental and spiritual. I am not a practicing member of any organized religion, but I have the utmost respect for those who do live by religious beliefs. I think all of us in the Armed

  • Fit to fight, proud to parent

    Monday through Friday, I get out of bed, put on my United States Air Force uniform with pride, and walk down the hall to wake up and prepare my two-year-old for the day. Being a single parent in the military is not the most paid, the most prestigious, or the most sought after lifestyle; but for me,

  • Life's most persistent question

    It was a hot, summer day like any other in the city of Montgomery, Ala. Children played in the streets, using tools from their parents' garages to unscrew fire hydrants, so they could feel a cool respite from the scorching August sun. Men grumbled under their breath as they pushed lawnmowers over

  • The Journey back to normal

    Between August 2009 and March 2010, I lost myself during my deployment to Afghanistan. I remember coming off the airplane, seeing my family and knowing that my world would never be the same again. It took me more than a year to put my life back together. My family and coworkers greeted me coming out