Commentary Search

  • Medical Commander reflects on what make an effective leader

    Webster's dictionary's definition of a leader is "one that leads or guides; one who is in charge or in command of others; and one who has power or influence." Former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogleman once said, "I don't think you have to be wearing stars on your shoulders or have

  • Anyone can lead with drive, desire

    "As of now, I am in control here in the White House." These infamous words were uttered by previous Secretary of State Alexander Haig, immediately following the news of Gary Hinckley Jr.'s attempted assassination of President Ronald Regan on March 30, 1981. A retired Air Force general, and former

  • Developing our Future Force

    It has been almost six months since Teresa and I arrived at AETC. Since that time, we have traveled to a number of our AETC bases. Simply put, we are very impressed with the men and women throughout the command executing our mission. The breadth of our responsibility to recruit Airmen as well as to

  • What sets the Air Force apart?

    Since my time in recruiting, one thing I often think about is our shared Air Force culture and what that means to each Airman. In the Marine Corps, every Marine is a Rifleman first, and of course everyone knows about "The few, the proud..." In the Army, everyone is a Soldier first, with the Army

  • Boom operators indispensible to refueling mission

    It is safe to say there would be no global power, global reach or global vigilance without boom air refueling. Without boom operators there would be no United States boom air refueling at all. Boom operators are essential to extending loiter time of intelligence, surveillance or reconnaissance

  • What is a Wingman?

    Airmen today are often confronted with phrases and terms that are intended to improve their lives through development of character, responsibility, and integrity. Sadly, many of these common words are so overused in everyday life that their meaning becomes diluted. For instance, take the title

  • Will you be ready?

    Will you be ready when you get that call? You know - the call you never expect, the call that will come from deep left field, and guaranteed to catch you off guard.We are the best Air Force on this planet. We are that good because of our people and our processes. One common thread across the Air

  • Positional vs. interest-based leadership

    Leadership has been defined as "the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task." This is a very simple definition that gets right to the point of the responsibility of leaders in an organization. The definition does

  • It’s ok to say yes, sometimes

    Have you ever been in a meeting where a new idea or process is proposed, only to be immediately dismissed as impractical or impossible? All too often, someone in the room rolls their eyes and starts listing the reasons that the idea will fail before it's even given a chance to see the light of day.

  • Stress-free PCS possible with planning, preparation

    Relocating as part of a permanent change of station is one of the best perks in the military and something most people look forward to, but it can be stressful and an unpleasant experience if not planned for or done properly.Presuming a PCS will be routine, lacking organization of the paperwork or