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Commentary Search

  • Memories are irreplaceable

    Each Sunday morning I spent with dad was a pretty special day. I'd usually wake up early knowing full well that he would already be out the door to get his Sunday newspaper, but more importantly I knew he'd also go to the Red Barn gas station to get a dozen maple bar doughnuts. He'd typically bring

  • Leadership

    I am confident my fellow Airman will do the right thing. We can learn much from our other services and also from our Airmen by the simple theme of setting the right example for them to follow. If we all, from top to bottom, show that under the worst conditions we do not give in to complacency and we

  • These were our friends

    I walked up to the kebab shop located on the grounds of our compound shortly after the incident happened. The Afghan man that works behind the counter had always been very friendly and greeted us with a smile and a handshake. On this day, however, his smile was gone and he wore a look of disdain and

  • Leadership across the spectrum

    "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."- Helen KellerLeadership is the art and science of motivating Airmen to perform above standards to reach a common goal: Achieving

  • Your story matters

    When I sat down to pen this commentary, I sifted through leadership quotes. I thought about all the cerebral, ornate language from squadron officer school that lulled me into a slumberous submission. I thought about all of the other commentaries I've read throughout my career and how someone,

  • Equal opportunity in the deployed environment

    The Air Force ops tempo remains at an all time high. Personnel are constantly on the move to deployed locations around the globe. We must recognize that even though we are not at our "home" station we are still responsible for our conduct 24/7/365. The Equal Opportunity policies at your home station

  • Is The Air Force In You?

    What happened to good order and discipline in the Air Force? What happened to respect for authority or even respect for rules and regulations? I know a deployed location is different from being at home station, but when was that an excuse to lose all common sense? I often find myself wondering how

  • It's a Balancing Act

    My boss warned me about the physical training test changes and to prepare for a more rigorous test as the fitness program was going to see significant changes. I never thought twice about what he said as I had always passed my PT test. I had always focused my free time on fitness and had been a good

  • Attitude Adjustment

    In the last four months here at KAF, I've noticed many things. The one that is easily recognizable is the "front" or "angry face" people display. Not just US forces, but all NATO troops here. Let's start from the time you, the reader, arrived. Do you remember how tired, frustrated and the drained

  • Deploying brings Mother's Day into perspective

    Being a single mother of three in the Air Force has taught me many things, but it took deploying to teach me the importance of Mother's Day.Sometimes I struggle balancing my responsibilities as a mother and my commitment to my country, and ten months ago when I found out I would be deploying, the