29 Jul 2009

Practice the way you execute

As many of you read the paper today, our base will be celebrating the many awards received during our recent RODEO competition which took place at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. Winning trophies in areas of aviation, maintenance, support and aerial delivery is great; however, we must never forget these accolades capture the fact that Combat Airlift

22 Jul 2009

Don't major in the minor

One of the greatest attributes I have witnessed from leaders that I admire is their ability to keep the main thing the main thing. We are all challenged daily with multiple concerns that jockey for our attention and action. The key to keeping down stress while leading a productive professional and personal life is how we determine where to place

22 Jul 2009

Education - take the time and go for it!

If you're like me, I was happy to have a bachelor's degree, and was completely satisfied and done with school. How wrong I was. It seemed the Air Force had other plans for me: Air Force Professional Military Education and technical training, which involved Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and undergraduate navigator training.

22 Jul 2009

It's been a great ride

It's been a total pleasure to serve as a member of Team Little Rock the past two years. Julie, the children and I will certainly miss Central Arkansas and all the great folks here. My going-away lunch and C-130 final flight were both very special, and are memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks to all the behind-the-scenes heroes who made these

22 Jul 2009

Our mission is about trust

As I flew to Colorado Springs, Colo., the other day on my way to witness our base participate in the Air Mobility Command Airlift RODEO 2009 challenge, the concept of trust began to play out in my mind. Col. Greg Otey, 19th Airlift Wing commander, was piloting the aircraft that 35 of us were on and each one of us trusted him with our lives. Our

17 Jul 2009

Good mistakes

Is there such a thing as a good mistake? You bet. For example, in our profession, if you're uncertain about calling the room to attention, call it to attention. If you're uncertain about saluting, salute. If you're uncertain about saying "sir" or "ma'am," say "sir", "ma'am." If the action wasn't required, at least you erred on the side of a good

17 Jul 2009

Doing the right thing is a choice

Every day we wake up, we are faced with many decisions that personally affect us as well as those around us. They range from what we decide to eat or being on time for our obligations, to what type of effort will we put forward during our workday. Yet each of us has the ability to choose to be a positive impact in our environment based on the

8 Jul 2009

Don't fear failure

Some of the people I admire the most are the ones who have the ability to keep moving ahead despite setbacks in their lives. I believe if you live long enough you will see challenges along the way; and if you don't believe me, just keep on living. But my question is: "Do you let your setbacks stop you, or do you keep pressing toward

8 Jul 2009

The American Team

The fifth 314th Airlift Wing goal is to "Represent our Air Force to our community, joint partners and allies," and as we reflect on our nation's 233nd birthday, I'd like to expound on the partnership between the military and our community, the American people. I've stated many times that we all need others to be successful and the strength of our

8 Jul 2009

There's no "I" in team

There is no "I" in team. You may have heard this term used before, but I beg to differ. I say there are "I's" in team. Without two or more "I"ndividuals, you cannot have a team. According to Webster's desk dictionary, team is defined as: "A group of persons joined together in some action or contest." Every team is not always successful as you