Commentaries

The Journey back to normal
December 13, 2012 — Between August 2009 and March 2010, I lost myself during my deployment to Afghanistan. I remember coming off the airplane, seeing my family and knowing that my world would never be the same again. It took me more than a year to put my life back together. My family and coworkers greeted me coming out of the secure area of the airport. As I went to... MORE

Then-Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Corey smiles as she holds a child while visitng a woman's vocational school in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, during her deployment in 2009. The child was about the same age as Corey's son at the time and the women at the school were surprised that she had a child back at home but was in Afghanistan deployed. (U.S. Air Force photo)

A dream cut short
December 6, 2012 — As I stood, sweating outside the Military Enlistment Processing Station on a hot June 24, 2010, I knew I had made a very important and life changing decision; the decision to join the United States Air Force. I joined the Air Force to attend school, travel, and grow as an individual. I left for Basic Military Training on the cold winter morning of... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Blake Hubbard, 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs broadcaster, poses for his Shaw Spotlight photo at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Mar. 13, 2012. An airman is nominated weekly due to their outstanding progression and effort. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hunter Brady/ Released)

How Airman Snuffy changed my view on standards
November 27, 2012 — As I move through what are most likely the last few years of my U.S. Air Force career, my mentality began changing.Those things which we hold dear, like proper wear of the uniform, high-and-tight haircuts and standing when a commissioned officer addresses us seem less important. Not that I don't still do those things, but they somehow haven't... MORE

Master Sgt. Ryan Cox – 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron
“The most politically correct way possible. Be professional, polite and just call it to their attention.”

SIPR Tokens: "The Fast and the Furious"
November 26, 2012 — The secure internet, or SIPRNet, has become a key element to many of the missions carried out on Joint Base Langley Eustis. Anyone who uses SIPRNet is familiar with its rigid password standards.Beginning December 2012, Air force policy has mandated the implementation of a new SIPRNet token. SIPR users will be relieved of the burden of having to... MORE

Tech Sgt. Kenneth Smith
Air Combat Command

“We have to protect the network and information stored on it.”

Our story is generational
November 20, 2012 — The crisscross pattern of olive green fabric felt rough against my fingers as I held my father's old U.S. Air Force uniform. It was a different time in September 1973 when Airman 1st Class Tom Denton arrived at Langley Air Force Base, Va. to start his career as a weapons control systems technician on the F-106 Delta Dart. Now, nearly 40 years... MORE

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton wears the uniform of his father, former Staff Sgt. Tom Denton, at Langley Air Force Base, Va., Nov. 20, 2012. Tom and his wife, former Buck Sgt. Paula Denton, were stationed at Langley during the 1970s. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Staff Sgt. Katie G. Ward/Released)

Thankfulness and an oak tree
November 13, 2012 — What are you thankful for? The question followed me the entire, extended weekend, as I struggled to write this article. It followed me as I made my way through the historic sites of Virginia. The air was unseasonably warm for November, as I walked through the remnants of Jamestown, Va. - America's first permanent English colony. The ground crunched... MORE

Howard Chandler Christy’s painting of the signing of the United States Constitution was commissioned in 1939 as part of the congressional observance of the Constitution’s sesquicentennial. Completed in 1940, the 20-by-30-foot framed oil-on-canvas scene is among the best known images in the United States Capitol. It is on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing. (Photo courtesy of Architect of the Capitol/Released)

Strong leadership today may save lives tomorrow
November 9, 2012 — Leadership and the military are inseparable.I've often heard a peacetime military can be sustained by strong managers, but great leaders are needed on the fields, skies and seas of war. Some volatile situations have taught me that, in fact, leadership and discipline are just as important in peace and training, as they are in war. With research, I'm... MORE

BADGHIS, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Timothy Cooper and other Soldiers from White Platoon, Bulldog Troop, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, take cover as they receive accurate small-arms fire on a riverbed near Combat Outpost Delorean, Bala Murghab, Badghis Province, Afghanistan Jan. 9, 2011. The patrol consisted of Soldiers deployed from 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo., Afghan National Army soldiers from Bala Murghab, two Tactical Air Control Party Airmen from Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C., a Navy Reserve videographer, and an Air Force photojournalist from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kevin Wallace/RELEASED)

Learning to cope when suicide hits at home
November 2, 2012 — The last day of school of my freshman year in high school, I woke up to the phone ringing. It was very early and I heard my mom's voice talking to the person on the other end."No, he's not here. He should be there already. I'll go check the roads and see if his car broke down and get back with you. Thank you," she said.She then came back to my room... MORE

Maj. Kelli Hooke, 409th Contracting Support Brigade, Kaiserslautern, Germany. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)

Customs and courtesies still apply in electronic communication
October 25, 2012 — Modern communication is quick and convenient, and has dramatically altered the way the Air Force fights. Air Force information systems provide each Airman with direct and immediate access to the world. While information systems such as email, web pages, electronic transfer points and data links vitally enhance productivity by providing massive... MORE

Staff Sgt. Nicole Younger 633rd Air Base Wing Judge Advocate
“I include the privacy act statement when needed.”

Every Airman has the potential to be an innovator
October 18, 2012 — I was one of the lucky few who attended the Air Force Association's 2012 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, DC last recently. Something that U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said during his speech resonated with me. "Innovation is what we're all about," he said. "We always have been." I agree with this... MORE

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