• Investment in the future

    On Jan. 17, I had a chance to look the future in the eyes, and those eyes were set with a determination that gives me a lot of hope about where this nation is heading. I had the opportunity to speak in Enid to Monroe Elementary' s fourth and fifth grade students as part of the Drug Awareness

  • Team Vance Airmen truly blessed

    Team Vance -- we are TRULY blessed! As I write this week's article (and the last article for 2004 I might add), I'm reminded of all the wonderful things you have accomplished during the year! We began 2004 with a flurry of activity. We started off with a command-directed safety briefing and flew

  • Who have you thanked?

    As 2004 comes to a close, this is an excellent opportunity to reflect on Team Vance's outstanding year and the many individual and team contributions that made it happen. More than 400 student pilots were trained this year, and trained safely, an accomplishment which cannot be overstated. Taking a

  • Who says pilot training is risky business?

    Team Vance -- who says Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training is risky? As I write this article, the weather has broken again and the familiar sounds of aircraft departing and arriving at our base are refreshingly heard again! Our flying mission always brings with it a degree of risk, and we

  • Conflict resolution ... from a lawyer?

    Many good books have been written about what personal characteristics are found in great leaders. Character traits such as integrity, honesty and decisiveness are some of the more commonly cited qualities possessed by admired leaders. Rather than write on these characteristics, however, I wanted to

  • Focus on ground, air training, not 'worry cells'

    Team Vance -- let's worry about the things we CAN control! As I write this article, I'm staring out my window at a blue sky void of any clouds and I'm reminded of the "worry" that many of you have expressed during the past two weeks about our inclement weather and the negative impacts (both on the

  • Military members - why do you serve?

    Almost every morning, I drag myself out of bed around 4:30 a.m., get a pot of coffee brewing and put on my physical training clothes, get the leashes on the dogs and we go for a jog. I need to get this done early because who knows what time I will get home from work or what will happen during the

  • Maintenance, quality assurance help flying safety

    Team Vance -- help our aircraft maintainer's and QAs succeed! As many of you know, we are currently undergoing a very rigorous Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation Team, or MSET, inspection, conducted by the 19th Air Force LG Colonel Doug Freeman, and his team of experts. This is the first of

  • Great people make great things happen for Team Vance

    Most of us are probably aware of the big construction projects that are happening at Vance AFB, such as the $1.2 million Gott Road extension, the $5.3 million Elam Road repair, the $15 million Consolidated Logistics Complex project (that will be starting any day), or the $11.3 million Military

  • Don't become a well-rounded warrior during the holidays

    As I write this week's article, we've just completed the ground-breaking for the Gott Road extension and said an unfortunate goodbye to 27 Army warriors for their service to Vance AFB and our force protection mission -- we are truly blessed to be able to see the future of Vance AFB develop before