Commentaries

March 2, 2012
My educational journey: a command chief

A few years ago I was asked to be the commencement speaker at a Community College of the Air Force graduation. I gladly accepted and over the next few weeks, I worked on developing a speech that would be meaningful and hopefully enlightening. However, as I completed my research, I was amazed by what
Feb. 21, 2012
Home alone

Life in the military is full of social gatherings such as dining in.'s, air force balls, squadron and retirement parties, and for those parents with children who spend time at home alone, safety and security is a major concern. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare your children for being
Feb. 14, 2012
Mentorship fundamentals

I have studied, designed, launched, repaired and been a part of many mentoring programs during my 25-year-plus career in talent management. To be frank, at this point I have some pretty strong biases about how to design and execute mentoring programs because I have seen so many fail. They almost
Feb. 7, 2012
Mental injuries, illnesses are killers

What would you do if you suffered a broken leg tomorrow? Chances are, you would go to an emergency room, see a doctor, have your leg x-rayed and placed in a cast and get a set of crutches. You wouldn't be back to 100 percent right away, but you could at least function.Now, what would you do if you
Feb. 2, 2012
Overcoming pride to prevent suicide

As my office has just completed a resiliency stand-down day, I am struck by the increasing numbers of suicides in the Air Force every year. There are more agencies and programs than I can count to assist anyone thinking of hurting themselves, and we receive regular training on how to engage in
Jan. 30, 2012
Identifying your domicile

Domicile is a term of art that has a very specific meaning. Different from "home of record" or "residence," your domicile is the state in which you reside now or have resided in the past, and the place where you intend to remain or return to. Everyone has a domicile, but identifying it can be
Jan. 25, 2012
Adventures in weight loss

I walked into the room and it stood there taunting me, reinforcing years and years of negative body image stereotypes.Laughing at me. It was my personal egg-shaped cocoon of shame. Fortunately, I was ready to overcome any news that was headed my way. Sometimes the worst information is the best
Jan. 12, 2012
MLK feature: 'Insufficient funds'

"In a sense we have come to cash a check... It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note... Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." Although not recognizable, these lines are
Sept. 27, 2011
Vector check: Why do you serve?

In recent weeks, there's been a lot of chatter at the water coolers about the future of the Air Force. Folks are concerned, and it's evident from their comments: Is my contract going to get cut? What about retirement benefits? Forget doing more with less, soon we'll be doing everything with nothing!
Sept. 16, 2011
'We need leadership not likership'

While I was contemplating what to write about in this month's paper, several ideas came to mind; new space capabilities, new changes to the Dress and Appearance AFI (36-2903) and various others. Then I saw a picture of a road sign outside an Army post in Afghanistan. I decided to write about a topic