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  • Light at the end of a dark tunnel

    Chapter 1: The AttemptI was 12-years-old. I tried talking to my friends. Only one of them came come close to understanding what I was going through. She gave me the idea that perhaps cutting myself would help me feel better.I tried it. I tried it four times. The first time I had no idea how to do

  • Pregnant with cancer: A Story of Survival and Resilience

    On April 16, 2007, I got a call no expecting mother would dream of receiving. "We got the results from your biopsy and it came back malignant." Did the doctor just say I had cancer?I first discovered the lump during Christmas break. It was so small that it was barely distinguishable. In March, I

  • The new Air Force Inspection System is here at Dyess!

    "Mission ready is inspection ready." Many of you have heard your 7th Bomb Wing Inspector General inspection team say this new phrase, but what does this really mean? It means that we should become adept at accomplishing our mission and stop worrying about preparing for the next inspection -- no more

  • The CAF Journey

     In January 2010, ACC developed a Comprehensive Airman Fitness (CAF) approach to improve well-being, enhance life balance for Airman & families, foster a culture of resilience, and strengthen personal readiness.  While the initial catalyst for CAF was at an alarming rate of self-defeating behaviors

  • Coins, careers and lessons learned: An Airman's journey to knowing it all

    For me, September marks a bittersweet time of year. As the summer and the memories it brought fade, replaced with the brisk winds of change, I look forward to my Air Force anniversary and back on how far I've come in the past three years. With my annual reflection also comes a different anniversary,

  • When it comes to weather, it can happen to you too

    It's fair to say I have seen my share of bad weather. I have watched the sky turn grey in an instant and begin to spiral down to form a near perfect rotating column of violent air. The tornado rampaging across the dry terrain as it travelled overhead only to severely damage a neighboring home on the

  • Commentary--A photojournalist's perspective of an AFSOUTH mission

    There I was lying in bed.  My eyes slowly opened and I was instantly irritated, because my alarm hadn't gone off yet.  I hate waking up before I have to.  For a moment I forgot where I was.  The bed was too comfortable, the room too clean and there was food in the fridge, so obviously I was not at

  • Summer burnout

    Some of the very things we enjoy during the summer can also wear us down. Juggling work, family schedules, vacation times, and outdoor squadron activities can take a toll. The chronic engagement of these activities can cause stress, fatigue and eventually summer burnout.According to the American

  • The voice within

    "Can your significant other sexually assault you?"The answer was a resounding silence. No one knew how to answer the "Sex Signals" speaker.I knew. I knew the answer. Rather, the sudden urge to vomit and then excuse myself from the auditorium gave me my answer."Yes. Oh, my God. Yes," said a small

  • My promise

    He knows there is something bothering me and I won't tell him what it is so he can help. I see the disappointment and completely shut-down. I feel absolutely terrible that I cannot communicate with him for reasons I still am not sure. I trust him, I love him and I want him to help, but I can't find