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  • Airmen learn 'right' way to make mistakes

    Today's Airmen are smart, motivated and eager to take on the mission. However, in life, sometimes things go wrong. No one ever teaches the right way to do something wrong. I have a few thoughts on the right way to make a mistake, as well as recover afterward. First, make mistakes, not crimes. Too

  • Airman's Creed focuses on beliefs

    Almost two years ago, I wrote an article on how our Air Force members were having a difficult time establishing a unified identity. 'Airman' was a term that divided our force rather than unified it. It was insulting to refer to a non-commissioned officer as an Airman. The Air Force has recently

  • Eagle Wing impresses 18 AF CC/CCC

    Once again, I'd like to offer a heartfelt 'thank you' to all the Team Dover members who worked so hard to make the 18th Air Force Commanders and Command Chiefs Conference a success. I continue to receive cards and letters from commanders across Air Mobility Command thanking you and complimenting our

  • The one constant is change -- Become a ‘change agent’

    We live in a world of constant change. Everyone can adapt to it, but it is how we deal with the change that is important. In the military, we change often - people change stations, change jobs, change our mission focus, but it is how we collectively handle the change that makes or breaks the unit.

  • Responsibility and personal readiness

    An online search reveals that 'responsibility' has many definitions, including my personal favorite from The American Heritage Dictionary 'something for which one is responsible; a duty or obligation.' Sir Winston Churchill once said, "The price of greatness is responsibility." As warrior Airmen in

  • Good vs. bad guys: explaining war to an 8-year-old

    When an 8-year-old recently asked me out of the blue, 'why do you have to go to Iraq,' it stopped me in my tracks. I remember thinking 'how can I possibly answer such an immense question without somehow tainting her view on this unpredictable world.' When I deployed to Southwest Asia in 2002, a

  • Don’t let Lean be a local event

    As with all new programs designed to increase the efficiency of our Air Force, 'Lean' is a fantastic philosophy being employed across all commands to focus our efforts and trim unnecessary use of resources. Lean is something the Air Force has been doing for nearly six decades, it's just worn other

  • Keep looking toward the future

    What a thrill and an honor to be associated with Team Dover! As the DoD's largest aerial port for airlift operations, Dover has long been known as America's center of excellence for strategic mobility. The reason is simple: no military organization, and indeed few nations, can match the synergy of

  • How will you be remembered?

    In a recent Army News Service article, I read of a significant event that occurred March 2, which may have gone unnoticed by many. On that day, with the playing of 'Taps' and a 21-gun salute, a hero was laid to rest in Portland, Ore. Retired Army Cpl. Howard Ramsey, Oregon's last living World War I

  • Your role in Air Force transformation

    "The most important area for transformation is the space between our warfighters' ears." Gen. Richard B. Myers Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff This month marks the fourth year of our country's involvement in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As an integral part of the Global War on Terror, this