Commentary Search

  • 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

  • PII: Protecting the force

    Recently, Joint Base Langley-Eustis experienced a marked increase in the number of personally identifiable information breaches. So far, the reported number of breaches for this year is eight violations, with five confirmed. The number is significantly higher than 2012, with four reported.

  • "Our" Airman's Creed

    Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the 18th Chief of Staff of the Air Force, introduced the Airman's Creed on April 18, 2007. It provides Airmen a tangible statement of beliefs that we cherish. The Airman's Creed was not created to regain some ideal that was lost or never otherwise identified, rather, it was

  • Thank you, Col. Day

    Saturday July 27, 2013 the world lost a hero. Myself, like many public affairs practitioners, had the honor of interviewing Col. Bud Day, Medal of Honor recipient. His name carries rock star status in Air Force, as it should. The man was the walking definition of "true grit."Recently, I started a

  • Defined by actions

    In July of 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. America had asserted its rights and beliefs, and it was no accident that the Battle of Long Island, NY came immediately on its heels in August. This "first" battle in which an army of the "United States" engaged was to be the largest battle