Commentaries

  • First Command: AETC first to influence Airmen

    To the men and women of the First Command, I leave Air Education and Training Command after spending the past 20 months honored to be your vice commander. Boy, have you taught me a lot! Thank You. Thank you for your tremendous devotion, service and professionalism. We call ourselves the First

  • Are your bags packed?

    About 10 years ago, a group commander of mine liked to ask the question: "Are your bags packed?" He was speaking, of course, about readiness to deploy. The bags he referred to weren't the A, B, C, D or E bags you might be thinking of - rather they are all the "things" we as Airmen need to do in

  • UCI and LCAP: It's game time!

    Black Knights, it's game time and we are playoff and Super Bowl ready! The inspection team from Air Mobility Command begins arriving this weekend to give us a Unit Compliance Inspection and Logistics Compliance Assessment Program.You've spent months scouring checklists and reviewing processes,

  • Take time to make time

    My grandfather passed away last year and this loss made me question my priorities. I was blessed to see him before he died, but I missed a tremendous opportunity when the entire family gathered earlier that summer to celebrate my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary. I was too busy to attend with

  • AMC Airmen are outstanding

    Please join me in congratulating our Air Mobility Command Outstanding Airmen of the Year and First Sergeant of the Year. These Airmen have done an incredible job serving our nation, and I'm inspired by their selfless, behind the scenes efforts that support our mission on a daily basis. It takes a

  • Fight for your feedback

    Conducting performance feedback is one of the most important aspects of Airmen development but one that is widely neglected. The success of our goal-oriented performance appraisal system is based on setting attainable goals, mentoring, reinforcing positive behaviors, giving immediate and honest

  • Airmen’s teamwork generates Combat Airlift

    In February, I had the opportunity to experience the teamwork that goes into mobilizing Combat Airlifters for the fight when I flew a C-130J from Little Rock to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and back as part of a required iron swap.While the crew from the 41st Airlift Squadron I flew with was exceptional,

  • Remembering a World War II commander

    Today, the 314th Airlift Wing remembers its World War II commander, Col. Clayton Stiles. On April 9, 1943, 67 years ago today, Colonel Stiles took command of the 314th Troop Carrier Group at Lawson Field, Ga. - he was 35 years old. The 314th TCG's new commander was already a seasoned leader, having

  • Lorenz on Leadership - A dynamic tradition

    Our Air Force has many traditions. Some we inherited from other services; others are more recent and will take time to fully develop. Traditions are positive things, deeply rooted in our heritage and pride. Traditions are things we don't easily give up.One of our traditions, however, isn't often

  • 314th AW providing 'modern, relevant' training to Generation Y aviators

    It's not unrealistic for the service life of some C-130E aircraft to push 50 years. An increase in rigorous training demands and smaller budgets Air Force-wide has taxed the lifespan of this aging fleet, dropping 314th Airlift Wing numbers to just over half the number assigned a few years ago. Yet,