Commentaries

Opening Day: Baseball and building military heritage
March 25, 2015 — "This field, this game: it's a part of our past. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come." - Field of Dreams (1989)As Major League Baseball's opening day approaches, I can't help but reflect on the sights and sounds that trumpet the rich... MORE

Colonel Scott A. Sauter, 315th Airlift Wing vice commander

Religious Freedom and Accommodation in Today’s Military
March 24, 2015 — Religious freedom and accommodation--few subjects raise greater questions than these for our diverse society. And although we in the military wear a common uniform and adopt the same core values, we feel the weight of these questions just as strongly as our civilian counterparts.Can I show signs of my faith in the workplace? What can I say, and to... MORE

18th Air Force Commanders Intent
March 18, 2015 — Mobility Airmen,In my last letter to you, I asked you to call "time out" and re-evaluate how we can safely accomplish our local and global mission. Since then, our wings have held safety down days and the feedback I have received from your leadership has been very positive.We are off to a good start, now I challenge you to continue to maintain that... MORE

Carlton Everhart II, Lieutenant General, USAF, Commander

Lessons from a SeaBee
March 17, 2015 — About six months ago, I went through a pretty challenging time in my life when my father passed away. Although his passing was not totally unexpected, the pain of losing my father was greater than expected. My father dedicated more than 20 years to the U.S. Navy as a SeaBee (derived from CB, short for Construction Battalion), and another 20 as a... MORE

(Col. Jimmy Canlas, 437th Airlift Wing vice commander)

The Military Common Core
March 17, 2015 — In an effort to better prepare our youth for success after high school, many states are adopting what are known as the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core focuses on developing critical-thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills in the areas of mathematics and English. The intent is a more developed, well-rounded generation ready to... MORE

Lt. Col. Patrick Miller, 628th Civil Engineer Squadron commander

The Learning Organization is the path to innovation
March 12, 2015 — Air Mobility Command is currently working a pilot program for implementing the "Learning Organization" principles into the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnel1 Air Force Base. I have been part of the "Learn Organization" transformation at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard where the benefits greatly improved the shipyard productivity and business... MORE

CAPT Timothy Sparks, Joint Base Charleston deputy commander

Integrity; will it be a part of your legacy?
March 10, 2015 — At Joint Base Charleston, thousands of tasks must be accomplished every day to launch one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. We expect our maintainers performing these tasks to abide by the core values we all subscribe to as Airmen: Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do. In almost every instance, adherence to these values... MORE

Col. Richard Gay, 315th Maintenance Group commander

A long history of success
March 3, 2015 — The 841st Transportation Battalion joined its higher headquarters, the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command in celebrating its 50-year anniversary Feb. 15, 2015. The motto for the event was, "Continuing to Move the Force for Freedom." Although SDDC can track its lineage back to the Office of the Chief of Transportation in the... MORE

Lt. Col. Brian E. Memoli, 841st Transportation Battalion commander

Thank you, two words that are not used enough
February 23, 2015 — Thank you, these are two words that don't get used enough, but can have a huge impact to one's day. I know I am guilty of not using it enough to show a simple bit of gratitude for the people who do the simple things right every day.The annual awards ceremonies were a huge success and I believe everyone present had a good time. With this success,... MORE

Master Chief Petty Officer Joseph Gardner. (Courtesy photo)

Special Victims' Counsel, here to help
February 23, 2015 — Hello Joint Base Charleston! My name is Capt. James Krauer and I am JB Charleston's Air Force Special Victims' Counsel. Since this is a new program on base, I wanted to take this opportunity tell you about the program and your SVC team.Implemented in 2013, the AF SVC program allows victims of sexual assault to have their own attorney who can be... MORE

Capt. James Krauer, Joint Base Charleston's Air Force Special Victims Council