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Commentary Search

  • A lifetime in 8 minutes

    It was just eight minutes. I would think about that later. It was just eight short minutes from the time the troop commander called everyone to attention to the time he dismissed us. Just eight short minutes that I will remember for the rest of my life. Eight short minutes that I watched two fallen

  • Physical fitness the key improving body, mind

    In the deployed environment, motivation and the sustainment of one's morale through a tour of whatever length comes in part from accomplishing personal goals - some that may have been elusive in the past. Usually these goals are centered around education, job knowledge, physical appearance, physical

  • Live healthy and happy

    May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, but people need physical education all year! Let's look at some ways to transition from sedentary to active. It doesn't take a lot to get some sort of physical activity into your schedule.1. Exercise in the morning. All it takes is getting up an

  • High touch leadership is an interactive experience

    Major General Tim Byers, the Air Force Civil Engineer, has said that today's high tech Airmen still require "high touch" leadership. It's true we have become extremely reliant on technology to accomplish our daily tasks; but many Airmen, young and old alike, enjoy using technology for entertainment

  • For women, by women

    I have served in the military just shy of a decade. The military has taught me how to find my footing in a traditionally male environment. To that extent, I have rarely felt like an outsider simply because I am a woman. I never would have considered this to be a luxury - that is, not until I began

  • Mentor: Do You Have One? Are You One?

    When you first hear the word "mentor," what comes to mind?Several years ago, I heard that word used. As an Airman First Class, I had no idea what that was. There was a master sergeant giving a briefing who asked the question, "Who has a Mentor?" As I looked around the room, I noticed no hands went

  • 8,760 ways to make a difference

    That's how many hours are in one year -- 8,760. As my one year in NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan begins to wind down, I find myself wondering how much of an impact I had during this year? I think it's a typical question folks ask themselves. "Did I make a difference; did I make my year count?"

  • Competency, caring most important tools of leadership

    Works on the subject of leadership weigh down bookstore shelves the world over. You can find how to be a 30-second manager, how to inspire your employees like Winston Churchill, and the three keys to strength-based leadership. What is it that defines true leadership? Is there a list of traits I must

  • Leave it better than you found it AND find it better than you left

    Many of us have heard the cliché, "leave it better than you found it," in regard to our jobs. Everything from our work area, living environment and the logistical challenges we encountered when we arrived are being constantly improved as a result of our effort to give our replacement a better

  • Don't sweat it

    I've never considered myself a "fitness fanatic," but it amazes me sometimes when I hear Airmen sweating the physical fitness test. It seems crazy to me that after several years under the new format people still need to "prepare" for their test even though the requirements are very well defined.The