10 Jun 2007

Attitude means everything at the 379th AEW

"The Winner's Edge," written by Denis Waitley, states, "The real leaders in business, in the professional community, in education, in government, and in the home, draw upon a special cutting edge that separates them from the rest of society. The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, in a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is in the

1 Jun 2007

Gen. Shugg says farewell to 379th Air Expeditionary Wing

As my time here comes to an end, I would like to say thank you to the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, civilians and coalition partners who have made my time here as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander enjoyable and extremely rewarding. You all have enthusiastically carried out our vision with your warrior spirit by keeping the mission

25 May 2007

Deployments offer chance to lead

Over the past 29 years, I have seen many examples of tremendous leadership and some examples of very poor leadership. I've seen excellent organizations struggle and average organizations soar because of their leaders. Can individuals truly affect an organization like that? They most certainly can. The culture of any organization is established by

11 May 2007

Let 'em run

What were your reasons for choosing to join the Air Force? A great way of life? Patriotism? Adventure? Challenge? Opportunity for advancement? Job security? School? Travel? Proving something to yourself or someone else? For those beyond your first enlistment, why did you choose to stay? As I talk to Airmen I often ask these questions and the answer

7 May 2007

Give a 'shout out' to the willing unknowns

As Air Expeditionary Force 5/6 draws to a close, I find it necessary to give a big "Shout Out" to the "Willing Unknowns." Noted minister and author, Chuck Swindoll, refers to the people who do the small things that make the greater whole successful as the willing unknowns. Most of these people don't get recognized, don't win awards, don't get their

28 Apr 2007

Do your best, "Deserve Victory"

Sir Winston Churchill will always be remembered as a great leader and a prominent statesman during World War II. In my eyes he will also be remembered for coining the phrase "Deserve Victory" and infusing it into the collective consciousness of the British Empire during WWII. You may have seen the poster of him pointing his finger straight ahead

21 Apr 2007

Who says elephants can't dance?

Within our Air Force family, we often hear and talk about the culture of the Air Force. If you ask people what comes to mind when they think about the Air Force, they would say airplanes, fighter pilots, technology freaks, regimental, conservative, reliable, professional, etc. It's funny that many of those attributes refer not to what Airmen do,

14 Apr 2007

What's in it for me?

Many of you are sitting here at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing wondering, "Why am I here? What's in it for me?" Well, these are fair questions, but perhaps a little enlightenment on our situation will help you see the big picture and feel a sense of worth. I think the first question is an easy one. You are here because you volunteered to serve

7 Apr 2007

We fight for all four corners

I recently read an article from a local newspaper where my family lives in Gig Harbor, Wash. It describes the activities on a busy intersection where on one corner stand members from Women In Black, on another corner the "We Support Our Troops" crowd, across from them is a lone figure with his "POW/MIA" flags and posters, and on the fourth corner

31 Mar 2007

Don't be an AF 8-track: Learn something new every day

We've all got to keep learning and growing every day. Where would the Air Force be if Airmen wouldn't or couldn't learn new things? Let's take a look back to see how life in the Air Force has changed (relatively) recently. My example is now a 30-year chief master sergeant... let's call him Moses... when Airman Moses first enlisted in the Air Force