• Share your story, help an Airman

    Public speaking is most people's worst fear. I've seen many good Airmen fail to earn their Community College of the Air Force degree because they did not want to take Public Speaking, a course necessary to transition from a technician to a leader.A bigger fear is sharing an embarrassing mistake from

  • A dash: that little time in between

    Have you ever given thought to what a dash can represent? It meant little to me until Dec. 26, 2010, when my Dad lost his battle with cancer.As the oldest child, I was charged with coordinating funeral arrangements, to include writing his obituary. Summarizing my Dad's short, but rewarding life,

  • Are you ready to transition out of your uniform?

    Leaving the military is not as simple as staying home the day after your service commitment is up.Almost 23 years ago, after a summer vacation that lasted less than 48 hours, I showed up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with about 1,000 of my new closest friends.Fast forward to the present, and it is

  • Create your own persistence and resilience

    My wife tells me all the time that "everything happens for a reason." It is one of her resiliency statements.When I look back at my life and analyze it, everything did fall in place as it was intended to.It took me twelve years to go from airman, to NCO, to officer -- to go from 21 college credit

  • Entropy: the natural order is disorder

    In the 1860s and 1870s, Austrian physicist and philosopher Ludwig Boltzmann and German physicist Rudolf Clausius radically challenged prevailing academic thought and gave birth to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.Boltzmann and Clausius' experiential research led to the revolutionary concept that

  • Work Overload! What I learned on the slopes of Aconcagua

    Breathe, breathe, breathe. Step. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Step. It's about 4 a.m. on a cool February morning, and I'm presently at 19,200 feet on Aconcagua, Argentina, the highest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres. I'm part of a team of 13 climbers. Today is our summit day.There are

  • Conquer fear, live your dream!

    Are you living the Dream?Do you wake up with energy each morning or do you need an energy drink to get you going?If you constantly hit your snooze alarm, wake with no energy, low self-esteem, lots of coffee, mountain dew and or energy drinks, drag yourself to work, can't wait for the clock to

  • Total Force concepts support long-term operational success

    Do you know that Vance has a squadron of Air Force Reserve Instructor Pilots who train student pilots in support of the 71st Flying Training Wing's mission?Many do not. Along with Laughlin, Columbus, Sheppard and Randolph Air Force Bases and the Air Force Academy, Vance is part of the Integrated

  • Make a list, check it twice: Ensure your day counts!

    Start now and make today count. That is how I ended my last commentary. Each day is a gift, and we need to ensure we make every day count to the fullest. But with everything else in life, many people do not know how or where to start.You could buy a book that will "tell" you how to reach the stars,

  • My name is Faith Odom, and this is my story

    Growing up, my uncle was always my best friend. I looked up to him. He was my role model. After time, he passed. It was a very difficult time in my life.When I got to high school and had to start thinking about my future, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life. I've always