Commentary Search

  • Being prepared to face force management

    It is time to face the facts: the Air Force is getting smaller. We are here to provide for the defense of our nation and the military needs to maintain the right-size force to do it. The debate will go on as to the optimal size of the military, but there is no debate that we simply cannot afford the

  • Don’t know what you got (till it’s gone)

    In the fall of 1988, the hair metal band Cinderella delivered to the world a pearl of wisdom beyond their years when they melodically destroyed our eardrums with "Don't know what you got (till it's gone)." This power ballad's intended message is referring to the harsh reality lovers may face after

  • My First Sergeant Academy Experience

    I just returned from the Air Force First Sergeant Academy and my experience was amazing. I was provided the opportunity to meet several enlisted Air Force leaders; such as our current Chief Master of the Air Force James A. Cody. However, this experience did not start off immediately at Gunter Air

  • Humility the mark of true leaders

    One of the best lessons I learned about "true leadership" was from a guy who lost an election.For people too young to remember, the presidential election of 1992 was a hard-fought, cantankerous campaign. One of the issues those opposed to Bill Clinton brought up was that he had managed to avoid

  • Leadership: not just for the high-ranking

    There are many ways an Airman can become a great leader and mentor for those around them. When I first came to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., I had no clue what to expect. My leadership has constantly changed in the year that I've been stationed here. I do my best to learn what I can from every

  • Wishing you a very happy holiday

    Strikers,As we head into the Christmas and New Year holiday, I want to thank you for what you do for our nation's strategic deterrence and assurance mission every single day. Our mission requires long hours, long deployments and long periods of time spent away from your families. Without your

  • See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

    Everyone has met one or two Airmen in your career that agrees with their leadership's decisions even though they know it's against Air Force policies or directives. They refuse to speak up about the violation and would rather follow orders because they don't want to rock the boat. They may even

  • Loyalty

    Have you ever stopped and thought about loyalty and what it really means? I believe it denotes an essential virtue in the character of an individual. Each of us have taken an oath to be loyal to our country and to the service to which we belong. Officers and enlisted alike must swear to support and

  • Preparing for life after the military

    There are transition deliverables required from all service members who are separating or retiring, whether they have completed six months or 30 years of service. Separation or retirement from military service is inevitable. At some point in people's military career, they will need to begin their

  • Attitude is everything: What’s yours going to be?

    What comes to mind when you hear the words, "missile base?" Fear? Panic? Uncertainty? or all of the above? Many first term Airmen find themselves overwhelmed with the news they will be coming to a missile base, or at least I did.How many of us actually knew where Cheyenne, Wyo., was? Whether this