3 May 2013

Getting back to basics; Following standards on base

I was in the office and a staff sergeant I work with noticed someone walking across a parking lot to the flight kitchen with no hat and no blouse on. I was shocked at what I saw. So much so, I left the office and went into the flight kitchen to let this person know that he must wear his hat and blouse. There is an authorized no-hat area between

3 Apr 2013

Mission Focus versus Mission Detractors

Our mission to fly, fight and win in numerous environments requires intense focus ... minute by minute. If we lose this focus, we risk our mission.Red Flag 13-3 just finished. During this demanding time, we all safely accomplished weapons school, advanced operational tests, Thunderbird season preparation, aggressor operations and base-wide warfare

3 Apr 2013

Parent of autistic child asks 'why not?'

I was truly speechless the moment after his delivery. It was within those first 60 seconds when he was placed on my chest that my world completely changed. Children define the phrase "life altering." They bring love, panic, laughter, tears, distraction, frustration and every stray animal in the neighborhood, while we pray they teach us the patience

18 Mar 2013

Chance of a lifetime; Maj. gets most from volunteer experience

We all hear about the myriad of volunteer opportunities available on and off base. Our leaders encourage us to get out in the local community and represent the Air Force. Sometimes we go; other times we just get busy.We might volunteer in order to fill one last line on our quarterly award package or performance report. The best kind of volunteer

21 Aug 2012

Back to school means increased safety for drivers

Members of the 99th Air Base Wing Safety office want to remind drivers to take increased care during the back to school season.According to the Department of Transportation, 23 million children ride the school bus each year. As many as 12,000 of those 23 million children are injured each year in school bus accidents. A majority of these injuries

15 Aug 2012

Teamwork affects us all

Imagine you're deployed. Your base has been mortared and you are leading a post attack sweep team. The very lives of your team depend on the collective actions of each team member. Think about what would happen if one person acted alone.Now, imagine you are recalled and standing in a deployment line. You're depending on everyone in that line to

3 Jul 2012

Keep it right

We've all heard the piercing cry of the sirens while going about our day. 'No worries, it can't be headed this way,' we think. But, what is that you see in your rearview mirror? It's the flashing lights of an emergency response vehicle.This is usually when things get a little tricky. We all know we need to get out of the way, but sometimes it seems

17 May 2010

We buckled up, 'we walked away'

How many times have you noticed the warnings on the visor of most new cars? I never paid much attention to them, but fortunately at an early age, I learned to always buckle up anytime I was in a vehicle. Having your older brother, a senior airman stationed in Japan, thrown from the passenger seat of a vehicle and killed when the car rolled over on

3 Sep 2008

Atmosphere Eight: Grace

The Command Chief's 12 Atmospheres are designed to invoke a monthly focus on simple everyday concepts that sometimes get lost in light of increased ops-tempo and proliferation of typical Air Force jargon. Leaders at every level are encouraged to incorporate the monthly focus in their area of responsibility by whatever means they deem fit, but

14 May 2008

Hey, watch this!

"Good wingmen never go off duty, and they willingly support leaders, subordinates and peers in protecting our Air Force people and resources"--Air Force Safety Center (www.afsc.af.mil) What do you think are the three most dangerous words in the English language? You and I may have different answers, but whenever I hear someone say, "Hey, watch