• Lorenz on Leadership -- Building a winning team

    On July Fourth, I was fortunate enough to represent our Air Force at NASCAR's Coke Zero 400. I joined more than 100,000 Americans -- undeterred by the summer heat -- at the Daytona International Speedway. The energy at the speedway was as thick as the humid air and the excitement contagious. Motor

  • Jack the bus driver - part of Vance's history

    When a pilot flies that final sortie, 20 years or more after the first one, it is traditionally quite an event. There are squadron, group and wing commanders, family, friends and numerous squadron mates crowding the flight line holding champagne and cameras, all anxiously awaiting the arrival of

  • Are you a team player?

    You've just received notice that your unit has won a command or Headquarters Air Force level award. The commander orders a mandatory gathering to meet and congratulate everyone on winning the award. His message is clear - no single person won the award. It was a total team effort. We associate great

  • Reflecting on our oath and the Constitution

    Last Friday I had the privilege of watching the Air Force's newest 676 Airmen take their oath of enlistment on the parade grounds of Lackland AFB, Texas. They were crisp and loud, standing tall with right hands raised -- and gave me a great case of the chills. Every one of us in a U.S. military

  • Lorenz on Leadership - It's all about service

    A few weeks ago, Staff Sgt. Sarah Price worked diligently as a radar approach control controller within the 71st Operations Group at Vance AFB, Okla. If anyone had asked her what she did, her response would have been simple and quick, "I control aircraft." No one would argue the importance of her

  • Demonstrating our ability to handle any emergency

    About the time I thought it couldn't get any hotter in Oklahoma, the wet bulb globe temperature goes up another notch. I'm not sure what that means - but an obvious translation is, "Today will be hotter than yesterday." Hopefully as you read this, the heat wave has broken and it's cooling off, so

  • It is everyone’s responsibility to enforce standards

    Gen. George S. Patton Jr., once said, "If you can't get them to salute when they should salute -- and wear the clothes you tell them to wear -- how are you going to get them to die for their country?" What he was talking about are the standards that guide us in accomplishing our day-to-day mission.

  • What I will miss – about Team Vance and the Air Force

    As I come to the close of my time here at Vance and my time in the active duty Air Force, I wanted to share those things that I will surely miss, in no particular order. Awards ceremonies: Whether quarterly or annual, professional military education graduations or NCO inductions, there is feeling of

  • Lorenz on Leadership - The art of objective decision-making

    Making decisions is something we all do each and every day. Most decisions are made without much thought, almost unconsciously and, in many cases, automatically. Others, however, are decisions that involve time and thought, and can impact more than just ourselves. These are the decisions where the

  • Developing contract compliance as a core competency

    Holy buckets, it's hot. Summer is in full bloom and our team is back together. As we reconstitute our mission, take your time and execute safely. We cannot afford for you to get hurt. Enjoy executing the mission, but drink plenty of water and be safe. Your leadership is extremely proud of how