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  • Remember Berlin

    To the average American, June 26 is just another day on the calendar. But to citizens of West Berlin, it was a watershed moment - not once, but twice. To beleaguered West Berliners in 1948, June 26 represented "hope" as the 15-month Berlin Airlift began, symbolizing the promise of the western world

  • Deciding your fate

    One night last month when the kids were at my sister's, my husband and I decided to go out to dinner. He asked me where we should go and after a long, tiring day, my first thought was "I have made a thousand decisions today - I'm not making this one." (Actually, I blurted it out - so much for my

  • What is motivation?

    Papers are written about motivation almost on a daily basis; "Motivational speakers" make good money energizing a company's employees to work harder, faster or more efficiently. New programs and motivational theories are explained and dissected. Motivation is typically defined as the forces that

  • Take lesson from nation’s birth

    As we celebrate our nation's 232nd birthday, it's humbling to look back and imagine the difficulties faced by those leaders who were "eyes on" the formation of a new republic. In 1776, the idea of a new world colony gaining independence from the world's most powerful country appeared a bit

  • Tattoos, body piercing oh my

    There has been a lot of talk lately about tattoos and body piercing. Let's look at what is legal. Why is this important to you? According to Air Force Instruction 36-2903, table 2.5, Failure to comply with the standards concerning tattoos or brands, body piercing and body altercation is punishable

  • Lead: Develop future leaders

    General Bill Creech, former commander of Tactical Air Command said "The first duty of a leader is to create more leaders." My father was my first leader. He told me "Keep your nose clean, your mouth shut (I failed on this part) and your ears and eyes open; you might learn something." He was right.

  • What does Air Power really mean

    Recently, the wing started saying "Air Power" in response to someone shouting the command "Team McConnell." This esprit de corps should rival our warrior ethos and reaffirm our calling as "Airmen to Fly, Fight, and Win" while supporting and defending our U.S. constitution as well as the lives and

  • Every Airman a leader

    A couple of years back, Tom Clancy, a renowned author of modern warfare books, interviewed many fighter pilots who fought in the Gulf War, and combined their experiences to craft a novel, which he aptly titled "Every Man a Tiger." In today's Air Force of lean budgets and even leaner manning, we must

  • Any drinking means no driving

    After 29 years, it's still as if it happened yesterday. And, memory means a lot at my age. I was 18 years old and driving home on a rainy night. I had my own car; gas was under a dollar; my 8-track tape player was playing, and I was going to see the world at the expense of the Air Force. A set of

  • Bring on the Inspectors!

    Over the past four months, we have trained extremely hard to ready ourselves for the upcoming ORI. The pace has been very demanding; individuals are tired, and our patience is running thin. This extensive training prior to the inspection can be compared to football training camps leading up to the