Commentaries

The Victim Advocate Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence
October 27, 2015 — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One in four women and one in seven men over the age of 18 will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence. "WHY ISN'T THIS CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY? "Sometimes I am still stunned that a public health issue of this proportion has not been... MORE

A Call for Volunteer Service
October 21, 2015 — "There is a debt of service due from every man to his country, proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have measured him." Thomas JeffersonWhen we see this quote, most of us in the military or civil service immediately think of our professional service as our down payment on the debt Jefferson references. While I agree, I would... MORE

Provide and Seek Out Candid Feedback
October 21, 2015 — Providing valuable feedback is crucial to our success. Ideally it should reinforce positive behavior and improve weak areas. Both the officer and enlisted evaluation systems are built feedback and it is a crucial part of leadership development. This holds true up and down the change of command. Positive feedback is relatively easy to provide. ... MORE

Face-to-Face Engagements "in lieu of email"
October 14, 2015 — In my experience, there is a definite art to effectively communicating thoughts and ideas to colleagues, subordinates and, especially, your boss. Some will argue that the educational process for communication began for all of us back in elementary school. Our teachers taught us that simple ways of doing business will stand the test of time. When... MORE

Lt. Col. Terry Tyree, 437th Operations Support Squadron commander

“What Were You Wearing?”
October 14, 2015 — Recently, a tweet on social media gained national attention after a user asked her followers to share their personal stories of sexual assault."What were you wearing when you were assaulted?" Followers began replying en masse with permission to retweet. Tweets varied in response but all shed light on who is affected by sexual assault. These... MORE

GPC, Efficiencies and You
October 7, 2015 — You may not know what GPC is but, believe it or not, it has greatly impacted you and your unit's mission. It would be farfetched to believe any of us could do our jobs without something that was purchased using GPC. So what is GPC? GPC stands for the Government Purchase Card. It's a Visa card used by members within an organization to procure... MORE

Glad to be back in the Lowcountry
September 30, 2015 — On July 31st I assumed command of SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic and couldn't be happier to be back in the Lowcountry among the talented professionals of SSC Atlantic and Joint Base Charleston.To return for my third assignment at SSC Atlantic is a very humbling experience. Like many members of the Joint Base Charleston military family, over... MORE

Navy Capt. Scott Heller, SPAWAR commanding officer

Drinking alcohol responsibly, what does that mean?
September 30, 2015 — As I sat at the hotel bar, sipping whiskey on the rocks, I thought about the opportunity that had been presented to me - author a piece for the Commander's Commentary. People, who know me well, know I often enjoy expressing my thoughts via written form. However, I have often embarked upon such endeavors in informal settings and with a passion that... MORE

Master Sgt. Joseph Hayne, 628th Comptroller Squadron

What are you going to do?
September 22, 2015 — What are you going to do? It's a simple question but, in any scenario, it challenges your thought processes and perspective. As a 21 year old Second Lieutenant, I walked into my Squadron Commander's office to brief her on a disciplinary issue in my flight. After a three minute description of the events I paused, waiting on a solution from the... MORE

Why generational differences should matter to military members
September 17, 2015 — As military members it has become increasingly necessary to consider generational differences within our ranks. Generational differences contribute to how we communicate, what we value and what motivates us as military members. Our professional military education covers a great deal but never really incorporates generational experiences and how... MORE