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  • Concern, action trump perfection in supervisors

    One of the best senior NCOs I've ever worked with was a troubled man whose personal demons cost him his career.This senior master sergeant was an alcoholic whose drinking caused him to be sent back early from an overseas assignment in 1987 when he was about the age I am now. He landed in my office in California. A year later, shortly after I left
  • Prepare, Plan, Prioritize; Getting through the stress of UTA weekends

    Monday mornings may be the hardest part of a UTA weekend. You are dragging from working all weekend, probably on your eighth day straight of work, with another four more days to go. Additionally, the errands and chores you take care of on the weekends remain undone.Although the greatest stress of UTA weekends tend to show up on Monday morning, it
  • Mustache March, Air Force Heritage and you

    So it's March and what's the first thing you think about in this glorious month...Mustache March of course. Maybe not, but this year Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh issued a challenge to the force for this March."I don't think we've ever had an all-in Mustache March, have we?" Welsh said during his speech at the Air Force Association's Air
  • Looking ahead to 2014

    This is the time of year prognosticators look ahead to predict what is on the horizon for the next twelve months. I don't claim to have any powers of prediction, but if one were to forecast some of the impacts that national and world events will have on our military in 2014, I'll offer these general areas to focus your scan. Starting at the global
  • Commander sends holiday season greetings to Citizen Airmen

    As we finish this year and look forward to the next, I want to thank you for your outstanding commitment and professionalism. You and your fellow Citizen Airmen clearly displayed a "service before self" attitude.From sequestration to the government shutdown, the budget challenges were numerous. I appreciate your dedication to the mission, the Air
  • Dropping the bag... and the attitude

    Nearly 30 anxious girls stumbled out of a bus with a varied collection of clothing and baggage and lined up in their first formation as a flight. They were "greeted" by an almost seven-foot man with a big bushy mustache and a campaign hat who yelled at them before targeting one (because of her huge suitcase) as his first victim. "Are you scared of
  • Valuing 'Citizen Airmen' in space today

    When asked to provide commentary on a subject of my choice, it took me about 10 seconds to pick a topic - the value of the Air Force Reserve in space today. The joining of 310th Space Wing "Citizen Airmen" alongside our regular Air Force mission partners across Air Force Space Command bases strengthens an important relationship needed for combatant
  • Role models

    I had an interesting discussion with my chief's group a couple weekends ago. The topic was leadership, and it was not astonishing to hear one of the more seasoned chiefs tell me that one of the most important aspects of his leadership is his function as a role model to his young Airmen. So, that got me thinking about role models. Who are they,
  • Military aviation salute signals bond between aviator, maintainer

    There is a long and proud history between aircraft air crew and ground crew. This strong relationship predates fixed wing flight and military aviation as we know it today. Even on the very first powered flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright had to decide who would be first to fly their craft and who would help make the launch historically successful.
  • A little ESGR education can go a long way

    Upon completion of my five-level seasonal training, I submitted my application for reemployment to my employer, asking to return to my pre-service position. I received a warm welcome and everyone in the shop expressed appreciation for my service to our country. During my reintegration back into the company, Human Resources stated that I would have
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