Commentaries

Have you thanked someone today?
June 8, 2009 — "Thanks shirt" is a phrase I hear often when I have helped someone out. As I think back on other forms of appreciation I have received over my career, the word "thanks" stands out as the greatest reward. It is probably the most satisfying part of my service. For the past eight years, I have also used it as affirmation I am doing the right thing for... MORE

Telling your story is important
June 8, 2009 — When I was deployed to Iraq, my mother said, "We have Air Force people in Iraq? What does the Air Force do there?" My mother is probably like a lot of other people out there. She's educated, watches the usual news networks every day and reads the newspapers. How can they not know about the most advanced, capable and superior air force on the... MORE

A positive attitude goes a long way
June 4, 2009 — Wednesday morning I had the pleasure of presenting Diamond Sharp Awards to four of our tremendous Airmen. The Diamond Sharp Award is a unique award in that it is direct recognition of sustained excellence and is given by the squadron supervisors who the members have the closest interaction with on a day to day basis - the first sergeants. Senior... MORE

Commander's Action Line
June 4, 2009 — Comment: Hello! I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Joe Abell and his staff at The Inns of Charleston for their outstanding support during my recent stay. Mr. Abell went out of his way to help me and my family when we were in town due to the hospitalization of an immediate family member who underwent very serious pancreatic surgery at the... MORE

Commander’s Comments
May 28, 2009 — Commitment is an interesting word to me. You hear it in marriage, you hear it as an organization slogan and you hear it as a motivational tool on successful teams. I thought of the word this weekend as I was driving through our housing area at Hunley Park. I happened to see one of our Airmen walking slowly, but determined. I stopped and said hello... MORE

Who has the most important job in the Air Force?
May 27, 2009 — Some years ago, an Air Force Academy cadet visited my base on Operation Air Force. She asked me a question that caused me to do some real thinking. She said, "Sir, I want to be a real leader in the Air Force someday. To do that, I think I need to be in the career field that is the most important. Who has the most important job in the Air Force?"... MORE

What are the 'cops' up to?
May 27, 2009 — If you were to ask a member of Team Charleston, "What do the cops do here on base?" you would probably hear them say, "Check IDs and lurk in their police cars around every corner." The team member you asked would be right, but he would only be describing the tip of the iceberg. Charleston AFB security forces defenders serve in roles ranging from... MORE

437th Security Forces Squadron commander

Your responsibility to the mission
May 27, 2009 — Perhaps the biggest challenge facing our military today will be to develop organizations that can effectively recognize, relate and assimilate the global shifts in culture, technology and information. For today's military, this means possessing an extraordinary range of capacities to fulfill these responsibilities in service to the mission and our... MORE

Commander’s Commentary
May 20, 2009 — Team Charleston: Congratulations on a clean sweep in the Unit Compliance, Emergency Management, Aircrew Standardization and Evaluation,and Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program inspections! With high marks across the board, each of you contributed immensely and validated our wing's capability! As you will note in a separate article in... MORE

Managing the transition
May 20, 2009 — As the next air and space expeditionary force rotation begins, are you and your organization ready? It may look easy at times, but it takes a lot of preparation to keep up the pace of operations we have set. Each cycle, we demand maximum effort from everyone for a limited period of time. It reminds me of a relay race, a team of people going at top... MORE