Commentaries

Diversity: Strength of the Air Force
February 18, 2009 — The strength of the Air Force comes from our people and in large measure from our diversity. We join together from all walks of life to collectively serve our nation and its flag. Whether Regular, Reserve, Guard or civilian, all of us take pride in our service, pledging that every action reflects our personal best. We also take pride in each other,... MORE

Got supplies: thank a GPC rep
February 17, 2009 — Who is responsible for providing you with the supplies and services needed to carry out day-to-day operations? Who makes sure you have these things when they're needed? Who performs these tasks in complete anonymity? The answer is your organization's Government Purchase Card monitor. Yes, these individuals make a large impact on every organization... MORE

Personal accountability … where does it stand?
February 17, 2009 — We are living in a society where it is easy to blame someone else for everything that happens to us, especially the bad. In an effort to adjust to the high operations tempo and constant demands of today's Air Force, I believe we have lost the essence of personal accountability. It is difficult for me to understand why Airmen are still having... MORE

Alarm clock? 20 bucks. Sense of purpose? Priceless!
February 11, 2009 — Although my alarm clock comes to life at an obnoxious volume every day at 5:45 a.m., it's not what gets me out of bed each morning. Yeah sure, it may be what wakes me up, but it's definitely not what gets me out of bed. What gets me out of bed every morning? My sense of purpose does. Where did I get this priceless gift? I got it from my past and... MORE

Commander’s Action Line
February 10, 2009 — COMMENT: My concern is with the dining facility. I've been there for the last couple weeks and eating lunch there almost every day. It's absolutely freezing in there. I've looked at the thermometer and it's like 61 or 62 degrees. I have filled out numerous comment cards and had some of the NCOs I was with fill out comment cards as well and asked... MORE

It’s not about you
February 9, 2009 — When you volunteer to become a first sergeant, one of the questions asked by senior leadership during the interview process is "why do you want to be a first sergeant in the U.S. Air Force?" Not going into too much detail and speaking from the heart, my answer was simple, "it's not about me." Now that I am serving as a first sergeant, I am often... MORE

Accountability positively impacts mission performance
February 9, 2009 — Beneath the continuous flow of e-mail traffic that reaches me, an amazing level of personal accountability is in action. Missions are being launched while we sleep or while we're with our families and friends eating dinner. 24/7/365, hundreds of Airmen are working diligently, ensuring communication flows, working to prepare and load cargo, securing... MORE

Commander’s Comments
February 5, 2009 — I recently returned from a trip overseas, which transited several bases, and I had the opportunity to see many of our deployed Team Charleston members performing at their best -- contributing not only to the war effort, but to Team Charleston's reputation as Air Mobility Command's busiest wing. I observed some outstanding teamwork, coordination and... MORE

Fit puzzle pieces together to accomplish mission
February 4, 2009 — As the father of three children, I have fond memories of sitting around the kitchen table with my kids putting picture puzzles together. Each one of my children enjoyed seeing the picture begin to develop as the puzzle pieces were found and gently put into place. As they got older, it became a competition to see who would find the last piece and... MORE

Being part of unit requires teamwork
February 2, 2009 — Taking care of Airmen sounds like an easy task, but ask yourself, is it really as easy as it sounds? Throughout our careers, we all have learned many things and have shared many experiences that have shaped our thought processes and actions. Many of those experiences have dealt with leadership and all had one thing in common -- a unit. People make... MORE