Commentary Search

  • Deploying as a new NCO <br> A perspective on leadership

    The NCO, along with those they lead, has forged the lion's part of success for all operations in the United States military. The NCO has led, followed, mentored, managed, cried, bled and died under the banner of red, white and blue. The lives of fighting men and women throughout history have relied

  • DUI equation

    Time after time, we've heard our Air Force leaders plead for us to "have a plan" before consuming alcoholic beverages. These briefings happen at commander's calls, staff meetings, and one-on-one with supervisors. Despite this emphasis, a lot of it doesn't seem to work. I have attended meetings hours

  • It takes a village

    "It takes a village to raise a child." Some people know this to be an African proverb while others know it to be a book by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on her vision for American children. However, I believe it to be applicable to the Air Force community with one change -- "It takes a

  • We're all Airmen, Wingmen

    We hear a lot of buzz words these days. Sometimes, one might think higher headquarters has a think tank whose sole job is to come up with the latest catch phrase. As I reflect on my past 24 years in the Air Force, I recall various buzz words that have floated around our Service. Can anyone remember

  • It Starts with Leadership

    A definition of leadership is "the art of influencing and directing people to accomplish the mission." Some people ask, "Where have the good leaders gone?" We read books about leaders and leadership; many take on the leadership style of others before them. Does leadership start while we are young,

  • Benefits of attribution to office dialogue

    A good journalist will discern between fact and opinion when presenting a complete picture of an issue, story or event. So will a good Airman, I think. Everyone has an opinion, so the old adage goes. Whether it's regarding office policy or current events, finding someone to express their view is

  • Heart attacks: All hearts are not created equal

    Many may have heard heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, yet few people know that women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men. According to the American Heart Association's website, www.americanheart.org,38 percent of women will die within one year after a

  • Motivation built from recognition

    "Worker dead at desk for five days" This was the headline to an article I received last summer, supposedly from the "New York Times." In the article it described a 30-year employee who had a heart attack while sitting at his desk in an open-plan office he shared with 23 co-workers. Beyond the

  • Success is in training

    Nothing drives me crazy like asking a person a question and being told, "I don't know and the person who does know is gone." The first thought I have is, "All these people and only one person knows the answer. Why even have other people in the office?" We all know that in the military, people take

  • Our only colors are red, white and blue

    This month we honor an American who made a large impact on American history. I would like to take a few moments to share with you the first of what I hope are many commentaries from me to Team Ellsworth - especially our enlisted Airmen. The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is much more than just