May 20, 2011

Are our Airmen really 'fine?'

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — How well do we know our Airmen? When broken down into moments of sincere interaction, a 40-hour week lends little time for colleagues, supervisors, commanders to analyze the sincerity of the phrase, "I'm fine."The Air Force mission demands we fly high, deploy onward, and maintain military standards, while enduring increased ops tempos and decreased

Feb. 15, 2011

Making tax season less taxing

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — You're hunched over your desk, mounds of paperwork and receipts scattered everywhere as you hammer an endless sequence of numbers into a calculator and shuffle through forms to find where to pencil in the data. You've resorted to copious amounts of caffeine to keep you awake and are certain you'll have nightmares of digits, decimals and Internal

Feb. 1, 2011

Living proof because you gave

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — I can't breathe ... my chest is heavy ... I'm so tired ... am I going to die? I thought, lying on a bed in a deployed medical facility thousands of miles from home.In July 2008, I had my first near-death experience. It began as a nagging stomachache and a week later, progressed into a medical emergency. Following two hours of surgery, I woke with a

Jan. 13, 2011

Stalking isn't classy

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — January 2011 marks the eighth consecutive observation of that National Stalking Awareness Month. Most people do not think that they could be stalked, but more than 1 million people each year report being victims of this crime.In the beginning of a relationship, it is normal to want to spend your waking hours talking, texting and spending time with

Nov. 23, 2010

Hang up, buckle up

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — There I was, riding my motorcycle along Sweeney Boulevard when a blue sedan at a stop sign began to roll out of the Exchange parking lot and right into my path. Fortunately, we avoided a collision as the driver stopped halfway in the intersection once she saw me. As I rode around her car wondering what she was thinking, I soon got my answer. Her

Nov. 18, 2010

Here’s to you, Mr. Uniform Violations man

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — "Give me your 341!"Ah, the four most dreaded words of any basic military training or technical school Airmen. Those words are also the glue that binds the standards to the forefront of the Airmen's minds. Each morning, Airmen clothe themselves in a meticulously folded brown T-shirt, a pair of sage green socks and a crisp set of ABUs, on which the

Nov. 8, 2010

Typecasting our Airmen

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Typecasting is the process by which film, television or theatre is strongly identified with a specific character or always cast in a specific type role. There have been instances in which an actor has been so strongly identified with a role that it has made landing different types of roles or characters difficult, if not impossible. Some actors try

Oct. 5, 2010

Because love should not hurt: Battling domestic violence

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — The real life drama in Hollywood of people like Chris Brown and Rihanna, Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva, Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller has put the issue of domestic violence in the spotlight. It is intriguing that some "know" who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who is capable of what actions. In the case of Rihanna and Chris Brown,

June 23, 2010

The end of an era: F-15 Eagles at Langley, 1976-2010

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Did you ever think the day would come when an Eagle would not be the most familiar sight in the Langley sky? Sadly, in the months to come, the very sight of an Eagle soaring across the Langley sky will soon become an uncommon phenomenon. Moreover, after a 34-year proud heritage, it is time for "the changing the guard" at Langley Air Force Base.The

May 17, 2010

Fighting the good fight

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Confucius said that our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Everyone has made mistakes and bad decisions that resulted in difficult consequences. Regardless of whether or not something was intentional or whether it was truly out of our control, Confucius made a good point. We can learn from the past, but why