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  • Keeping children safe is a team effort

    It's that time of year again -- the sun is shining, temperaturess are rising and evidence of young life is reappearing in the form of toys littering backyards, bikes laying in driveways and, of course, children populating parks, yards, sidewalks and streets.While driving safety and obeying posted

  • Glorious Mustache March

    Once again, Airmen from across the globe have decided to engage in a timeless tradition. Ignoring protests and threats from significant others they proudly grow a sweet, sweet mustache in honor of triple ace Brig. Gen. Robin Olds.He was famous for his skills as a decorated fighter pilot and for the

  • Accountability...do you have it?

    Accountability is a vital attribute in all aspects of life, but especially important in the service. Everyone needs to know they can count on their wingman. This can range from covering a battle buddy's "six" as your Security Forces Squadron patrol conducts maneuvers to ensuring your unit has

  • Base operations in a lean budget environment

    If you're like me and have been watching the news in the last six months, you've probably heard the Air Force is facing some significant budget reductions for at least the next several fiscal years. What's the driving force behind those reductions and what does that mean to base operations? In the

  • What can you do to stretch yourself and your budget?

    A previous wing command chief of mine always carried rubber bands in his pocket. He used it as a visual aid when he talked to young Airmen to demonstrate how you as an Airman will be stretched and challenged to do great things. As an installation comptroller over the past several years, the typical

  • Air Force can't afford 'status quo'

    Recently Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee regarding a $32 billion cut in defense spending next year. This represents approximately a five percent decrease of the proposed $614 billion budget. While $26 billion is expected to be deleted from spending

  • Saving lives

    I had the opportunity to go on a deployment to Sheik Isa Airbase, Bahrain, filling a transient alert slot. I had no idea what was in store for me. When I finally arrived, we figured out we were going to stay at a naval station next to the beach. I noticed they were staging C-17 aircraft at the base.

  • Delivering hope is just one of 3,000 days deployed

    Early one September morning in 2010, I stood briefing a crew before they departed on a humanitarian mission from our base in Afghanistan to various fields across Pakistan. Rampaging floods left millions of Pakistanis stranded and in need of rescue to areas with shelter and food. Several crews from

  • Core values: key ingredients for the perfect Airman

    Some members of the U.S. Air Force enlist or commission with the intention of serving their term and separating upon the expiration of their contracts. Whatever their reason for joining, whether it be for education, benefits, a steady income, or simply because they want to serve their country, they

  • Coping with a culture of change

    You have likely heard someone say, "the only thing constant is change" or something similar, especially in recent months. This quote and its variations are attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, a Greek philosopher who lived from 535-475 B.C. This familiar saying, as tired and overused as it is, is