Commentaries

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

U.S. Navy Capt. Scott D. Heller, commanding officer

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

Official photo of Mr. Charles Beam, 628th Air Base Wing Executive Director.

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

Col. Gregory Gilmour 315th Airlift Wing Commander

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

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey S. Palazzini, commander Charleston District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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

Lynn Hudson, NHCC physical evaluation board liaison officer

The Second Charleston Air Force Base
November 1, 2017 — On November 13, 1953, Airmen assigned to the newly constructed Charleston Air Force Base held an official dedication ceremony, celebrating the full operational status of the new base. Although there had previously been a Charleston Army Air Field, that base had been placed in surplus status on April 25, 1946, soon after the end of WWII, and... MORE

The dedication ceremony for the opening of Charleston Air Force Base, Nov. 13, 1953.

Servant leadership, ministry of presence
October 18, 2017 — I am often asked about my decision to leave civilian ministry after 15 years of pastoring and missionary work to enter the Navy Chaplain Corps. My response is simple - I responded to a call to serve in a different way. Though I enjoyed my earlier years of ministry, I always sensed there was something missing. I would see the people I was called to... MORE

The fifth branch of the Armed Forces: A historical perspective from MLEA
October 18, 2017 — At times overlooked as the nation's fifth branch of the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard has served in America’s wars, beginning with the 18th century quasi-war with France, through the Iraq War, and in all the major (and many not-so-major) conflicts in between. By law, the Coast Guard is an armed force at all times and may be transferred in its... MORE