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  • 23rd Wing Shield

    Commentary - Welcoming Afghan evacuees: What it means to me

    August 2020 will be forever etched into the minds of military individuals who have deployed to Afghanistan over the last 20 years in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. With the close of operations in Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, several people have asked me, “What do you think about Afghan evacuees coming to America?” “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
  • Tech. Sgt. Katie Maricle, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Unit Fitness Program Monitor, completes a run at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, June 23, 2021. Maricle runs three times a week and is currently training for her fourth half marathon in October. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jason Minto)

    Running for my life - in a good way

    Let me start this commentary with a bit of honesty – last year, if you had told me I’d be writing an article about how running and fitness have changed my mental health significantly, I probably would have laughed. However, that’s exactly what has happened.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. One-in-five cases in the U.S. requiring hospitalization are people between the ages of 20 and 44. One-third of Department of Defense cases are in intensive care units. All Airmen are vulnerable, and overcoming this threat requires our entire Air Force working together. Airmen must do everything possible to protect themselves, others in their local community, and their Wingmen. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

    Airmen must resist complacency, adhere to social distancing guidelines

    The COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. One-in-five cases in the U.S. requiring hospitalization are people between the ages of 20 and 44. One-third of Department of Defense cases are in intensive care units. All Airmen are vulnerable, and overcoming this threat requires our entire Air Force working together. Airmen must do everything possible to protect themselves, others in their local community, and their Wingmen.
  • Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs is the Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, shares personal and professional perspectives on Air Force life and military medicine. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

    ACC Command Surgeon on today’s, tomorrow’s medical operations

    Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs is the Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, shares personal and professional perspectives on Air Force life and military medicine.
  • Closeup of Man taking Selfie

    COMMENTARY: Leadership in a Selfie Culture

    Almost everywhere you look on a military installation, you see photos of the chain of command proudly displayed on the walls. These men and women are seen as leaders within the profession of arms. But what can you really tell from their portrait? And, what should the portrait of a leader look like? Wait -- some of you might want to hold off and put your phone away. Your selfies are not necessarily the answer to the second question.
  • There are many options available to Airmen who are going through a rough time. Seek out a chaplain, a Military Family Life Consultant at the Airman and Family Readiness Center or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255. “Admitting to yourself that you need help is one of the most difficult but beneficial things you could do,” said Airman 1st Class Alexander, a 49th Medical mental health technician at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. “Remember that suicide doesn’t end the pain, it just passes it off to someone else.” (Last names are being withheld due to operational requirements. U.S. Air Force illustration by Senior Airman Aaron Montoya)

    Suicide prevention – hopes for the future

    To some, suicide prevention seems like a topic that is discussed without any definite solution. Every Airman sits through the annual briefings and trainings and hears the statistics that go along with them, yet suicide remains a problem within the DOD. Although there may never be a definite solution to end suicide, it is important that we all have an understanding of how to get through the hard times we face. Before I joined the Air Force, I was personally affected by the suicide of someone I knew. It left me feeling like it was a mystery that will never be solved.
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