May 21, 2012

Teamwork; on duty and on the court

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — A few weeks ago, the Airman Leadership School residents played the Langley First Sergeants and Langley Chiefs Group in a customary volleyball game. Not that I am bragging, but I knew what the result would be before we even started the game. I was confident that a win for the SHIRTS and CHIEFS would be the result, because history has a way of

May 14, 2012

They are ALL Your Airmen!

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — How many times have you heard someone say, "That senior Airman's not wearing his hat in the parking lot." Or "That tech sergeant just ran inside because reveille is about to sound."? I bet at some point, a comment was made similar to, "I wonder who his supervisor is?" Or maybe, "Master Sgt. Smith is his boss. I'll let him know what I saw." There is

April 26, 2012

Time to change our EPR culture

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey — The second I pinned on staff sergeant I knew I could do it. I could be the NCO the Air Force wanted me to be. I could write fair enlisted performance reports and prove the naysayers in airman leadership school wrong. Sure, what we learned might "not be the way it's done in the real Air Force," but that didn't mean it couldn't be. I was going to

April 26, 2012

Leadership in today's dynamic battlespace

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Leadership is complex in today's dynamic battlespace. Leaders need to consistently examine their actions and decision making. In addition, a leader needs to be disciplined and efficient in their approach to accomplishing the mission and developing Airmen.Leaders can either create a positive or a negative environment. Throughout my career, I have

April 16, 2012

Protect the Earth, it's the only one we have

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — The essence of Earth Day revolves around the philosophy of "sustainability." There is only one Earth and somehow, someway, we must figure out how to make it last to sustain life. In the last several decades, there has emerged a realization that resources are not unlimited. Supply of critical resources, such as oil and rare earth metals, are already

April 12, 2012

What are the rewards and challenges of being a military child?

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — EDITOR'S NOTE: Elizabeth Howe, the daughter of U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Dave and Mrs. Dulce Howe and senior at Tabb High School, won the Langley Officer's Spouses Club's 2012 Scholarship contest. Her winning commentary, which reflects on her experiences as a military child, is published in celebration of the Month of the Military Child.I lived in

April 10, 2012

The way ahead: Langley to host first three-wing combined ORE

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — The 633d Air Base Wing, 1st Fighter Wing, and 192nd FW will conduct a combined Phase I and Phase II Operational Readiness Exercise at Langley Air Force Base April 16-20, 2012. This exercise will serve as a practice for the 2013 Operational Readiness Inspection, and will test all functional areas and capabilities of Team Langley's Airmen to project

March 26, 2012

Thank you... I will serve

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Editor's note: the Langley Chief's Group recently held an essay contest for staff sergeants and below to write about what it means to be in the military. The following is piece was written by Staff Sgt. Kurt Heinz, and was the winning entry.Many countries have mandatory military service, we are fortunate to live in a country where the entire

March 19, 2012

Be proud of your occupational badge, wear it

SOUTHWEST ASIA — As I walk around various installations, I notice many Airmen don't wear their occupational badge. I know, according to AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, Airmen aren't required to wear it, but I encourage them to do so. First, your occupational badge is an insignia representing your career field. Your career field

March 13, 2012

Base operations in a lean budget environment

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — If you're like me and have been watching the news in the last six months, you've probably heard the Air Force is facing some significant budget reductions for at least the next several fiscal years. What's the driving force behind those reductions and what does that mean to base operations at Joint Base Langley-Eustis? In the rollout of the Fiscal