Commentary Search

  • 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

  • Defiance v. distress: Digging deeper to help Airmen

    In my four years as a first sergeant, I've seen the good, bad and the ugly; however, I would not be effective if I allowed the bad and ugly of the past to overshadow my decisions of today. Instead, those experiences have allowed me to identify questionable decision-making from my fellow leaders

  • Living in Orange: My deployment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    October 2012: Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).0545 hours: my alarm goes off. I reach for my cell phone. Several texts throughout the night report fighting inching ever closer to Goma. The M23 rebels are continuing their offensive; this time killing a man, woman and child in a village

  • My vacation to Moore, Okla.

    I was on vacation in Oklahoma at the end of May, to visit family. My wife and I were actually looking forward to a change in climate and the potential for some thunderstorms, but were not expecting what would come May 20. I grew up in central Oklahoma, in the areas directly affected by the recent

  • EPR system not broken if used correctly

    I'm not certain how many of you had an opportunity to watch Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody's recent comments regarding the enlisted performance report, but I strongly recommend you take a minute to visit the Air Force Portal and check it out. Our leaders at the very highest levels are

  • JFEX through a new Airman's eyes

    "The drop is in 12 minutes!" shouted a crew member, struggling to be heard over the roar of the mighty C-17 Globemaster III's four engines, each putting out approximately 40,000 pounds of thrust. Quickly I made my way down the ladder from the flight deck and started the perilous walk towards my seat

  • Identifying seven signs of terrorism

    Every day we see signs of unsafe acts and bad driving habits by ordinary folks. Some common examples would be people walking or jogging late at night without reflective clothing in the same direction as the traffic flow or people talking on cell phones, eating fast food or reading maps while