Commentaries

Thank you for a strong 2017
February 2, 2018 — It is customary, as each year comes to a close, to reflect on the challenges faced and the successes achieved throughout the year. Before I could share my thoughts about 2017 with you, however, Winter Storm Grayson provided Joint Base Charleston our first challenge of 2018. As always, the entire JB Charleston team responded positively, allowing us... MORE

Command Career Counselors prepare Sailors
January 31, 2018 — The Navy Command Career Counselor is the critical link between an individual Sailor, his or her command and supporting Navy organizations. Their ultimate goal is to develop Sailors who are properly prepared for career milestones directly linked to advancement. The personal goal I set prior to arriving at every command is to earn the Retention... MORE

SPAWAR 2017 year in review
January 30, 2018 — 2017 was another remarkable year for SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the highlights with our Joint Base Charleston partners.We have major programs underway around the world involving command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR)... MORE

JB CHS, Aviation Authority Speak to Storm Response
January 19, 2018 — Last week's historic winter storm created hazardous conditions, power outages, and icy roads all across the Lowcountry. In coordination with the Charleston County Aviation Authority, Joint Base Charleston's focus was on the safety of our local community, respective employees, and travelers to and from Charleston. While these efforts delayed plans... MORE

An “Outsider’s” perspective
January 17, 2018 — Have you ever asked yourself what the contracting functional community actually does on a day-to-day basis? As a program manager in a previous assignment, I often found myself searching for the answer to this question. Coming from both a different career field and major command, I have been given the opportunity to broaden my career at the 628th... MORE

Education, Leadership and Paying It Back
December 28, 2017 — Last year I wrote a commentary about teamwork, commitment and trust and highlighted a significant point in our nation’s aviation history exemplifying a combination of all three - the Wright Brothers and the first flight. These are not the only components of a successful unit, business or organization. There are a few more I would like to share this... MORE

Are you ready?
December 13, 2017 — As military members, we should have one main goal… to be ready! But, what should we be ready for? The real answer is everything. I’m asking you to consider what you can do personally to help us be ready for anything that comes our way. You accomplish this by taking the time and making the effort to be caught up (or ahead) on all fitness, training... MORE

Are you a good leader?
November 29, 2017 — To know if you are a good leader you first have to know what a good leader is. Do your research. There are many definitions and variations of what a good leader is; one model often used in leadership literature is the transformational leadership model, first proposed by James MacGregor Burns and then developed by Bernard Bass. The transformational... MORE

Harbor Post 45 deepening project and transportation costs
November 14, 2017 — The month of November brings cooler weather, lots of football watching, thoughts of the upcoming holidays and the fast approaching gift giving season. Who wouldn’t like a new car, the latest flat screen television or a new set of tires just to mention a few on my “wish list”? These are expensive items and it got me thinking about what goes into the... MORE

Breast cancer doesn’t hurt
November 1, 2017 — When I was younger, my mother and aunt told me horror stories about mammograms and breast cancer. “Don’t have a mammogram, they’re painful,” my mom said. “They’ll hang you from your breasts,” my aunt said. “If you feel a lump in your breast, stop, don’t touch it; touching it makes it spread.” They were not at all encouraging of self-exams and being... MORE