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  • Lack of supervision, communication can lead to dire situations

    "MOC, Dog 3!" the master sergeant screamed into the radio. "We have an Airman trapped between the flaperon and aircraft fuselage!" The maintenance operations controller, startled by the communication, asked the master sergeant to repeat."We have an Airman's arm trapped between the flaperon and the

  • Be aware: January is National Stalking Awareness Month

    January 2012 marks the ninth consecutive year that National Stalking Awareness Month is observed. Most people don't think they could be stalked, but according to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 3 million people over the age of 18 report being victims of this crime each year. Ninety percent

  • Let the bullets fly

    "Bullets are everywhere! There's blood all over the place! There's an impact over there and some action over here! Who knows what the results are going to be?" It's that time of year again. It's time to fill out Air Force Form 1206's and get your service dress ready just in case. Dust off that

  • Leadership - a new perspective for 2012

    Americans succeed - academically, professionally, on the battlefield and in business. From the time our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, through the Civil War, the Great Depression and the war in Iraq, Americans have tenaciously overcome formidable obstacles requiring remarkable

  • Get smart on the NTTR at the NTTR Academy

    As I stood in the simulated urban combat area on the Nevada Test and Training Range with Maj. Trinidad Meza, we discussed the role of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers over the din of radio chatter between a JTAC and a pair of A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" aircraft. As the major explained the finer

  • Unnamed, but never unappreciated

    Sometimes the most important events in life go unnoticed by everyone except those few individuals involved, and this night was no exception.My wife and I headed to labor and delivery at Mountain Home AFB's hospital at two o'clock in the morning in hopes of having a healthy baby by dawn. What

  • Fostering the American spirit

    It's difficult to be positive when the news is riddled with bleak stories about our economic recession, 15+ trillion dollar debt, high unemployment and record housing foreclosures. While it can be easy to get beat down and accept failure, this is not the American way. Instead we must stay strong,

  • Finding the words

    Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting through a Veterans Day celebration at my church. I was touched to hear Bill Keena, a World War II veteran, talk briefly about how his team stormed Omaha Beach. Tearfully, he shared the events of that fateful day, and how his craft approached the beach and more

  • 'Not' in the line of duty

    Over the past few months Air Combat Command and the 55th Wing have experienced unfortunate accidents resulting in injury and death to several of our most treasured resource, America's Airmen. In addition to the physical and emotional pain and suffering of these tragedies and the loss to our Air

  • Safety ... a state of mind

    The early morning events of June 21, 2011 will always stand out in my mind. I remember feeling a knot in my throat as the first sergeant said, "The squadron is formed up, sir." I walked out, climbed onto the platform, and when I looked out over the formation the knot expanded into my stomach. Before