• Active duty, Guard, Reserve transforming into 'Total Force'

    Many changes are taking place in the military. One that catches my attention as commander of the 5th Flying Training Squadron is the transformation of the military towards a "Total Force" concept. This topic has generated much discussion in the Guard and Reserve circles in the last few years. Since

  • Drunk driving unacceptable

    Team Vance -- zero excuses for getting a DUI!! Last weekend, one of our own was caught "pushing it up" too much, failed to stop his vehicle when told to do so by the local police department, and finally was eventually stopped and blew a .11 (.08 is the legal limit) on the breathalyzer --

  • Welcome home SF expeditionary warriors

    Team Vance -- join me in welcoming our 13-person security forces squad home! I'm writing this article after just getting home from the Hairston Gate where I welcomed our most recent security forces squad of 13 expeditionary warriors home from a 128-day Air Expeditionary Force deployment and I have

  • Getting 100 percent results with an 85 percent solution

    Today's U.S. Air Force is lean and getting leaner. The ops tempo doesn't offer a lot of room for catching up. Meeting the current demands for Air Expeditionary deployments with "force reshaping" at the doorstep means continued Air Force excellence will depend on people learning and understanding the

  • Remember safety as temperature rises

    Team Vance -- safety is what we're all about at Vance Air Force Base! I recently returned from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where I hosted the week-long Air Education and Training Command Squadron Commander course, and as we landed back at Vance AFB, one couldn't help but notice that the base is

  • Virtue of honor held as greatest military accomplishment

    It is once again an honor to have the opportunity to address the outstanding men and women of Vance Air Force Base. I am continually amazed at the outstanding manner in which Airmen do their job, the high quality military aviators we produce, and how safely Team Vance accomplishes a very complicated

  • Team Vance -- volunteer!

    Happy Friday Team Vance! Thank you for another productive and safe week. Sunday marks the start of National Volunteer Week and in true Vance Air Force Base form we are ahead of the game with a volunteer event planned for Saturday entitled "Rebuilding Together Through Christmas in April." This

  • 32nd FTS commander defines commitment, loyalty in military

    Commitment and loyalty, these are two words that always come up around promotion recommendation, or PRF, season. Currently we're working on the major to lieutenant colonel products, but the discussion of commitment and loyalty, I would argue, applies to all promotions, ranks and day-to-day

  • Thanks for success, remember safety

    Team Vance -- our daily mission of training tomorrow's leaders is inherently a dangerous undertaking. Before I discuss our mission, allow me to thank all of you who contributed to the overwhelming success of April 2nd's Special Olympics! Col Wade Johnson and my wife reviewed the events of the day

  • Chief asks: Who is keeping you on track?

    We all have goals of what we want to accomplish in life but take a moment and look back just over the last two years of your life and answer this question, "Did I accomplish the goals I set for myself?" The answer for 95 percent of us is probably "no." So, why is that? It's obvious our military