Commentary Search

  • 23rd Wing heritage: be proud of it, build on it

    A few weeks ago, I was struck when I overheard a conversation at the military clothing store. A women who I suspect was visiting, was looking for a T-shirt for her grandson's birthday. "Do you have anything with the Flying Tigers logo on it," she asked the clerk. "After all, John Wayne made a movie

  • Adopting wingman concept helps us fight, win wars

    Regardless of rank, as a member of the world's greatest air and space force, we are part of a team or "family" that takes great pride in our willingness and ability to watch each other's back. There's no doubt about it, being an effective wingman, and embracing the "wingman culture" takes effort and

  • Rescue, teamwork go 'hand in hand'

    Each time I move to a new duty station, I try my best to understand the new wing's mission and learn what it takes to get the job done. I have a brother who works in the rescue community. After eight years of listening to him describe what he does for a living, I thought I knew what Moody's mission

  • Explore your world, volunteer

    When I end my Air Force career a few years from now and somebody asks me what I did for a living, I want to be able to say to people, "What didn't I do." I hope to see as many different parts of the Air Force as I am able to, and the only way that is going to happen is by constantly volunteering for

  • 'It' can happen in a blink of an eye

    It can happen in a blink of an eye. The car in front of you stops suddenly; the reason doesn't matter -- maybe the driver was talking on a cell phone and wasn't paying attention, maybe there was child who became disruptive in the backseat and the parent had to intervene - but within a split second

  • Assessing risks is mission essential

    We are all home, at least for now. After four months deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the members of the 41st Rescue Squadron A-Flight fulfilled the final half of an eight-month commitment supporting our combat search and rescue mission. While flying home on the

  • 911 always available for emergencies

    The history of 911 can be traced as far back as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson; unconfirmed history reports the first call for help occurred while the two inventors were working on the first telephonic equipment. Mr. Bell had spilled battery acid on his clothes and said the famous words,

  • Buzzed driving is drunk driving

    The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's is one of the deadliest and most dangerous times of the year due to an increase in impaired driving. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in December 2005, more than 1,200 people across America were killed in

  • Success comes to those who persevere

    Thomas Edison, a man who is arguably one of the greatest inventors in all of history, was awarded 1,093 patents in his 84-year life. He invented the dictaphone, mimeograph, storage battery, stock-ticker, phonograph and the first silent film. He had the rare combination of scientific and business

  • Native American efforts not forgotten

    During World War II, Native American zeal to serve this country was so great that according to U.S. Army officials, the draft would not have been necessary if the country's entire population had enlisted in the same proportion as did American Indians. American Indians began enlisting in the late