Commentaries

  • Breast Cancer; More Than a Ribbon

    I'm sure by now most people don't need to be reminded that October is breast cancer awareness month. How could you have missed it? With all the ribbons, "Save the Ta-Tas" T-shirts, bracelets, earrings, shoe laces and other pink doodads it's fairly hard to forget. Don't get me wrong, this is not a

  • A Progressive Melody: Mother & Daughter Scale Highs & Lows of Autism

    As the lengthy summer days, with bright and balmy evenings, start to wane, parents know the difficulties of transitioning children from a typical malleable summer's day to a regimented school schedule. Some parents, however, face special challenges this time of year. Master Sgt. Beth Jungk is a 19th

  • A Day of Service

    In 2009, Congress designated September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. On this day, I think it is fitting that we remember and honor the innocent lives taken during that vicious attack by renewing our commitment of service to our Nation. As the son of an Air Force NCO, I grew up

  • Fight for 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

  • From Self-Assessments to Unit Effectiveness

    The 314th Airlift Wing recently began the first stage of self-assessments in preparation for our Combined Unit Inspection in December. However, the work we're completing now isn't solely for an inspection; it's the leading edge of a philosophy shift away from compliance inspections to the future

  • OMG...What will we do?

    Have you heard? The Department of Defense is facing budgetary challenges! Check out the verbiage from the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office. CBO: "Reduce defense budget authority below the Administration's plan by $143 billion, or 10 percent...The forces that would

  • CAF: What is it and how does it apply to me? Part 1

    "Comprehensive Airman Fitness reflects our commitment to developing a holistic approach to caring for our people that equips, enables and empowers everyone to grow more physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually fit. It's not another program, but rather, a means to enhance mission effectiveness

  • American dreams: The legacy of MLK

    Born into an inconspicuous family on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., few would have predicted that Martin Luther King Jr. would go on to become one of the most recognized icons in American history. Yet little of what King is remembered for was inconspicuous, from when he was a 13-year-old skeptic in

  • Mutual Respect: The Power of “Aloha”

    Here on the mainland, most people know the word "aloha" as a simple Hawaiian greeting to mean both 'hello' and 'goodbye.' However, the purest definition of aloha, itself, is unconditional love, free of prejudice or discrimination. It involves an honest and proactive expression of faith, trust and