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  • Team Vance thrives on trust, working together

    Having arrived here at Vance Air Force Base in June 2003, I am quickly approaching the end of my two-year tour. In just a few short months, I will be moving on to my next assignment at Whiteman AFB, Mo. Perhaps like some of you, I wasn't a volunteer to come to Vance, but only because I didn't know anything about it. Vance has turned out to be one

  • ORI Prep is paramount

    Team Vance -- Great job this past weekend, we all returned to work on Tuesday, and I commend you for keeping each other safe over the holiday weekend. We're building another great safety record for 2005, and I expect it to continue throughout the rest of the year. This year has been exciting and fast-paced so far, and we need to stay focused in

  • Taking care of your wingman is a call for action

    Taking care of your wingman isn't just a catch phrase in today's Air Force -- it's a call for action. It means more than being a designated driver. It means being an active listener, advisor and helping that individual find assistance, if needed. Take an active role It's important to sit down and talk -- more importantly -- listen to your wingman

  • Changes on horizon: keep focused

    Team Vance -- I hope everyone was able to make it out to the Mark Price Arena last night to see Tops in Blue, the U.S. Air Force's premier entertainers. This group does such a tremendous job. I have seen them perform several times throughout my career. The shows and the performers just keep getting better and last night's show was the finest I have

  • Vision shapes, brings direction to chaplain corps

    U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain, (Maj. Gen.) Charles C. Baldwin, unveiled the new Chaplain Service Vision at the Worldwide Wing Chaplain and NCO in Charge Conference held last November in Washington, D.C. The vision is simple and straight forth: "Glorifying God -- Honoring Airmen -- Serving All." Through this vision, the chaplain corps

  • Thank you Vance, Enid community

    The first thing I noticed when I returned from my recent deployment at the end of January was that it was colder here than Iraq. That was just fine with me. I was in Oklahoma. I was in America. I'll take the United States of America any day, no matter what the temperature. As I came through the Harriston Gate on Jan. 18, I was pleasantly surprised

  • Faith, courage, perseverance: What it means to be an American

    These are troubling times for Americans. The last few years have been tough -- the blatant attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001, the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and the all too real understanding that many people around the world hate us simply because we are Americans. All of these issues made me reflect back to our previous

  • New commander ready to 'fly' wing smoothly

    Team Vance flight check-in ... two! ... three! ... four! Experienced aviators often gauge the quality of a formation by the timeliness and smoothness of the initial check-in. There's almost nothing as sweet to a flight lead as the crisp echoes of wingmen responding to his or her call. Likewise, almost nothing is as disappointing to a wingman as a

  • Individuals control their own career success

    If you're like me, you find work at the tactical, mission execution level of operations much more appealing than the separation and additional issues that flow with higher positions and levels of responsibility. Quite frankly, it was more fun to be on the pointy end where there were fewer distractions and most of my efforts could be directed

  • Team Vance -- It's been an honor being your commander!

    As I write this final article as your wing commander, I'd like to try to articulate what an honor it has been for me to have served as your commander. Since Aug 2003, all of you have made my vision of "building a professional and physically fit officer, enlisted and civilian work force dedicated to preparing tomorrow's air warriors to fly and fight
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