Commentaries

What the flag means to me
June 8, 2017 — It is the beginning of June, the Memorial Day weekend has just passed, and I am driving onto one of the local barrier islands for lunch with my family. The town has taken care to place American flags on all of the downtown poles in observance of the upcoming summer holiday season and I have to admit seeing this always fills me with pride. When I... MORE

Teamwork more important than ever during uncertain times
June 8, 2017 — The week before Memorial Day I flew as part of a large formation exercise consisting of 21 C-17 Globemaster IIIs alongside our active-duty and Army partners. I was reminded in a poignant way – times are uncertain and we could get “the call” at any moment. Multiple hotspots exist in just about every corner of the globe and, over the past few... MORE

U.S. Air Force Col. Jeanine McAnaney. (Courtesy Photo)

Schools out, safe driving needed
May 31, 2017 — Summer is almost here bringing warmer weather and the end of the school year. Children will be out enjoying the outdoors and their freedom from the restrictions of the classroom. More than 160 (elementary, middle and high) schools in the metro Charleston area will be closing for the summer. Drivers need to heighten their awareness of the... MORE

Sharpen Your Axe
May 17, 2017 — President Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” He was teaching us all about preparing for future obstacles we may face. Most of us see a tree in our path and attack it head on with a blunt blade. We typically are willing to fight the pain and labor through the... MORE

841st conducts situational understanding and systems thinking training
May 17, 2017 — The Army’s, 841st Transportation Battalion conducted a Leadership Professional Development session discussing situational understanding and systems thinking here, March 7. Based on the positive feedback, the training was well-received and considered a great engagement. I assisted Navy Lt. Brenton, the primary facilitator for the program and... MORE

The village wine and the importance of personal contribution
May 17, 2017 — During my days in university, I came across a short reading from an unknown author which greatly impacted my performance on every task or job since. It applies to every position in every command and describes what can happen at a command if people don’t feel their work is important enough or their contribution significant enough to make a... MORE

Navy Cmdr. Brett A. Pugsley, commanding officer

The importance of recognizing superior performers
May 3, 2017 — Recognition is a fundamental human need. Therefore, recognizing Airmen is a fundamental responsibility of leadership because taking care of Airmen is a leader’s priority. As the adage goes, if a leader takes care of the people, the people will take care of the mission. Recognition in the Air Force can be both formal and informal. Medals are an... MORE

Lowcountry neighbor provides local, national and international training
May 3, 2017 — The Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) co-located with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in North Charleston provides Law Enforcement (LE) training to more than 2000 active duty and reserve members annually. The MLEA was established in 2004 to prepare Coast Guard (CG) personnel to perform the duties of maritime... MORE

Days of Remembrance
April 24, 2017 — Each year the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum leads the way in commemorating, Holocaust Remembrance Day/Days of Remembrance. This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day/Days of Remembrance observance will be celebrated April 23- 30, 2017. With the theme “Learning From the Holocaust: The Strength of the Human Spirit”, everyone is encouraged to... MORE

The founding of Charleston Air Force Base
April 19, 2017 — JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. - On December 10, 1941, only three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Army Air Force’s 56th Pursuit Group based at Charlotte, North Carolina and its 61st Pursuit Squadron arrived at the Charleston Municipal Airport. The squadron’s P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Warhawk aircraft provided coastal defense operations for... MORE

German Prisoner's of War working in the motor pool at the Charleston Army Airfield.