Commentary Search

  • Air Force Medical Reform

    I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the changes that have been made to the Military Health System (MHS) and help decipher the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) transformation. The passage of the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019 directed the

  • Mess Up, Screw Up, or Fudge Up

    Something that I have heard often since I’ve been in the Air Force – and realize I repeat every time I meet a new Defender in the squadron – is that mistakes aren’t punished but crimes are. Failures are the best way to learn the right way to do things, but speaking from a career field that has

  • The Power of Words

    As a child, I fell in love with books. More accurately, I fell in love with words.I would read anything and everything I could find; even cereal boxes and backs of milk cartons were fair game. I was transported to worlds that intrigued and frightened me, exposed to ideas that challenged and pushed

  • Fundamentals - The Building Block of Success

    While innovation and “thinking outside the box” get much of the headlines these days through a focus on process improvements and an array of innovation programs, we must ensure that we remain diligently focused on the basics and fundamentals if we are to have lasting and meaningful success both

  • The Value of the Uniform

    I love wearing the Air Force uniform.  In fact, I think I was born to wear it.  But it is funny, I was not one of those kids who became enchanted by the sight of a Hollywood actor wearing the uniform in a blockbuster movie, vowing to someday join the Air Force so I too could look cool.  I did grow

  • FAILURE: A Foundation to Resiliency

    Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest steppingstones to success.-Dale CarnegieResiliency. That’s a tough word for me. It sounds so clinical, but I get it. As a 25-year career Airman, I’ve seen my friends, leaders and Air Force families around me “dig in” and

  • Pathfinders in Norway

    The presence of permanently-assigned Air Force personnel in Norway comes as a surprise to most Airmen. “I had no idea we had a base in Norway” is a typical reaction, followed by the question “What aircraft do you support?” Strictly speaking, we do not have a base in Norway nor do we have an active

  • Honoring Courage and Commitment of Airmen Past and Present

    The Air Force brought unit patches back to the Air Force operational camouflage pattern (OCP) to further elevate our focus on honoring the heritage of squadrons as the war-fighting units of the world’s greatest Air Force.   Our senior leaders nailed it with this decision!  Over the past few months

  • Reflections After Two Months of Command

    Pathfinders— It’s hard for me to believe, but I took the flag and became part of this great 501st Combat Support Wing team just over two months ago.  And what a two months it has been! My wife, Kristina, and I want to say “Thank You” for the warm welcome our family received. We knew we were joining