• Exercise your right to vote

    "The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President All of us who are familiar with the demands and sacrifices required in military service can relate to the idea of pulling your own

  • Readiness is No. 1 job of U.S. military forces

    Today's military is unlike any other military in past years. Our military is smarter, younger and more patriotic than ever. Since we are a product of American society, it is easy to see why we are the greatest military force in the world. There is no doubt it takes a special person to "serve."

  • Step forward to volunteer, make a difference

    Our great nation was founded on the principle there is something larger than self, and individuals volunteered their time, treasure and talents for a common purpose that has stood the test of time. The need for people to come together for a common cause is still out there, so step forward and make a

  • Building, maintaining morale not just commander's job

    It was the summer of 1989 in the hot muggy woods at Fort Polk, La. I was a private first class assigned to the 199th Support Battalion and going through one of our two-week training exercises. The mosquitoes were classic Louisiana flying swamp birds that swarmed around in the 90-degree southern

  • Take Air Force customs, courtesies to heart

    Ask most people what customs and courtesies are, and you might get a myriad of answers. I define customs as something people always do or do in a particular way by tradition, and courtesy as politeness showing good manners or consideration for other people. Growing up as children, we are taught to

  • Be an agent for change, not a speed bump

    During the United States Air Force's relatively short existence, the maxim, "the only constant in the universe is change," has certainly been applicable to our service's evolution and development. Arguably, there were periods of time when the changes made were slow and deliberate. An example is the

  • Embrace change as part of life in Air Force

    To many, change is a terrifying thought. Why is that? Many people fear the unknown. They don't normally resist the change being proposed; rather, they resist being changed. The process and psychology of change have been studied for decades. You can find this evidence in numerous books, research

  • Take time to remember -- freedom is not free

    Across the wing this past week there's been a buzz about the upcoming holiday weekend. Everyone is ecstatic that Gen. William Looney III, Air Education and Training Command commander, proclaimed Monday as an AETC family day. The weather in northwestern Oklahoma has been absolutely superb, and all of

  • HAWC offers true facts about false fad diets

    You've heard the advertisements: "Lose all the weight you want, without diet and exercise!" or "melt those pounds away ... lose up to 30 pounds a month, guaranteed!" The American public is faced with an overwhelming amount of food and nutrition information. Despite the aggressive attempts by the

  • Air Force -- truly family or fictional epithet?

    Have you noticed that we in the Air Force throw the words "team" and "family" around so loosely they seem to lose their meaning and become a cliché we immediately ignore? Well, this month I entered my 17th year as an Airman, and I would like to test those words against my experiences from an E-1