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  • Busy Airmen must still embrace core values

    Air Force core values ... it is a concept often used and I find taken for granted. Today's Air Force is half its size from a decade ago, with more advanced and complex technologies, demands, and there is a constant need for speedy answers. Over the years, I fear busy Airmen don't often reflect how they can operationalize Air Force core values in

  • Air Force's birthday a celebration of the Total Force

    As we celebrate the Air Force's 67th birthday, we also commemorate the diverse group of airmen who are the engine of our service--Active Duty, Guard and Reserve.Our Reserve Component is a powerful manifestation of the finest American qualities.  It is an organization of ordinary working people who represent the very fabric of our nation and are

  • Happy birthday U.S. Air Force

    As we embark on our 67th anniversary of the United States Air Force, we are humbled and privileged to be able to reflect on its remarkable transformation from the B-17 Flying Fortress to the F-35A Lightning II. With the vision of the Wright Brothers, the passion of Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, the courage of Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle and

  • Is the Air Force in you?

    When I think about being a good Airman first, there are two quotes that have framed my focus.The first came from Chief Master Sgt. A.C. Smith, the command chief master sergeant for the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It was part of his address to the Team Hill 5/6 Association; I was attending as president of Hill's Top 3. He
  • A cross marks the grave of pilot 2nd Lt. William J. Miller of the 452nd Bomb Group, who was killed in an Oct. 12, 1944, crash of the B-17 Inside Curve in England. Seven of his crewmates died with him. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Matt Proietti/452AMW)

    Today's uniform provides link to fallen heroes

    It's strange to be thanked for actions your countrymen took 20-plus years before you were born.That's what happened to me a decade ago when I attended a Memorial Day ceremony at the American Military Cemetery near Cambridge, England. I was in the United Kingdom on temporary duty for the Air Force Reserve's 452nd Air Mobility Wing when I was by

  • Memorial Day: A new Airman’s perspective

    As a newly minted second lieutenant, May 26 will mark my first Memorial Day in uniform. I may still be sporting butter bars, but my recent transition into military life has already offered a new perspective on the holiday.The last Monday of May is reserved to celebrate our most distinguished heroes, the service members who sacrificed their lives

  • Prepare, Plan, Prioritize; Getting through the stress of UTA weekends

    Monday mornings may be the hardest part of a UTA weekend. You are dragging from working all weekend, probably on your eighth day straight of work, with another four more days to go. Additionally, the errands and chores you take care of on the weekends remain undone.Although the greatest stress of UTA weekends tend to show up on Monday morning, it
  • Triple ace fighter pilot, Brigadier General Robin Olds, center and former members of the 507th sport their mustaches throughout the years. “Mustache March” is a way to honor our heritage and our pride while having some fun and getting made fun of in many cases. (U.S. Air Force Photo illustration/Senior Airman Mark Hybers)

    Mustache March, Air Force Heritage and you

    So it's March and what's the first thing you think about in this glorious month...Mustache March of course. Maybe not, but this year Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh issued a challenge to the force for this March."I don't think we've ever had an all-in Mustache March, have we?" Welsh said during his speech at the Air Force Association's Air
  • WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Tech. Sgt. Crystal Tyson., 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, and Master Sgt. Jeffrey Spires, 445th Logistics Readiness Squadron, share a laugh while exchanging stories with a vet at the Dayton Veteran Affairs Medical Center. The 445th Airlift Wing visits the medical center every year right around holiday season to help serve food and had out gifts to the veterans that live there. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Matthew Cook)

    Holidays at the home; A connection to fellow veterans

    The main dining facility at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Nursing Home on Gettysburg Drive was a busy place Dec. 7, 2013, Pearl Harbor Day. The young and the old, the uniformed and formerly uniformed along with the Air Force Band of Flight's Wright Brass gathered for a delightful holiday lunchtime party."This lifts up the veterans spirits," said
  • Senior Airman Brandi Barentine, 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, salutes the pilots of a C-17 Globemaster III July, 30, 2013, at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Dennis Sloan)

    Military aviation salute signals bond between aviator, maintainer

    There is a long and proud history between aircraft air crew and ground crew. This strong relationship predates fixed wing flight and military aviation as we know it today. Even on the very first powered flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright had to decide who would be first to fly their craft and who would help make the launch historically successful.
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