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  • Giving thanks

    The holiday season is upon us, beginning with the celebration of Thanksgiving. The tradition of giving thanks is deeply rooted into our American legacy.In 1621, Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which established the custom of setting aside time each year to

  • Heart of success: Being thankful for military families

    As the holiday season approaches, we remember the things we are thankful for. In the month of November, there is Thanksgiving and Veterans Day, but November is also military family appreciation month. The military family is the heart of the success of our military and its Airmen. The military family

  • Living by the Creed: Never leave an Airman behind

    American Airmen from all walks of life, serving in places across the globe, will join together to share a feast with their closest family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. While many of our brethren will head home, far more will remain on-station in support of our never ending mission. With the

  • Leading in today’s military

    I have had several people, both military and civilians, ask me about how we continue to work in today's military with the current political environment. The answer I keep telling them is 'just do your part and control the things that you have control over.' As our budgets seem to shrink, our mission

  • Remembering the past to understand the future

    My wife once told me a story about her grandmother, Eleanor Teigen. Grandma Teigen was at a doctor's appointment, and the nurse who was checking her in noticed her birthday was Nov. 11. The nurse said, "Your birthday is on Veterans Day!" Grandma Teigen pointed out the year of her birthday was 1909,

  • Fly, Fight, Win

    It was 95 years ago at precisely 11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918, the "war to end all wars" came to a termination of hostilities after the death and wounding of millions of veterans. One year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day with this statement: "To us in America, the

  • Process improvement

    Have you ever been to a restaurant and remarked how the service was slow or otherwise not to your liking? You probably thought there was a smarter, more efficient way to do business; one that would make customers happy and increase the restaurants overall revenue. Well, there is one way and that way

  • What does the Air Force family mean to you?

    When the three words "Air Force family" are spoken, they mean something very different to each person who hears them. To a person who has never served in the Air Force or military, they might think it is just a way of getting people to buy into a concept bigger than themselves. When new Airmen are

  • Being prepared: train for the known, educate for the unknown

    Throughout our careers we have all attended training, whether it is for pre-deployment, annual ancillary or new ideas the Air Force has developed. This past October, while at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Ala., I was sitting in a lecture given by Senior

  • Mentorship: building others for success

    Being prepared is the key to the Air Force and its culture. We need to be prepared for many different types of events - from natural disasters to deployments, inspections to challenges in life. Throughout my career, the focus has been on emotional, spiritual, and physical preparedness. These are all