Commentaries

  • Professionalism: A tradition that never changes

    With the recent passing of our Air Force’s 74th birthday, I’ve been putting a good deal of thought into how much has changed. In the 25 years I’ve served, I’ve worn three uniforms, seen a number of bases close, and several airframes retired.It struck me that there is one thing that hasn’t and never

  • Knowing Your Why

    Airmen, Wingmen, Warriors,We often are asked to know our “why,” but do we take time out to understand it and put into action?

  • CSAF Brown & CMSAF Bass share thoughts at Leadership Summit

    Many times in our careers we ask why we don’t get information from the top down or why we only get to see or hear what senior leadership has to say when we see or read in media outlets. I thought I would take a few moments and share with you what I recently learned from Air Force senior leadership.

  • Shouldering, shedding and sharing burdens

    The word burden often carries a negative connotation. The word burden often conjures up thoughts of hardship and despair. Years ago, my greatest source of inspiration for leadership, “The Book,” changed how I viewed the concept of burdens. My favorite chapter provides three major takeaways on the

  • Celebrating military children

    What is the origin of the Month of the Military Child? The Month of the Military Child is part of a legacy left by former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. Since his establishment of the Month of the Military Child in 1986, there have been an increasing number of campaigns, recognizing the needs

  • The Importance of Leading Up

    When I arrived at Dover for my command tour, I was coming off a year as an instructor at Squadron Officer School, followed by a year as a student at Air Command and Staff College, where I was introduced to a concept called meta-leadership. The concept was originally developed at Harvard and is

  • 2021 is a Marathon, not a Sprint

    This year has gotten off to a great start! We have continued to get after the mission and take care of our members during the worst pandemic to hit the country in several decades. We have continued to develop ourselves and our teammates with professional military education classes and other

  • Be a Light Against Suicide

    Even during the winter solstice when the world is plunged into darkness, you can be a light against suicide. I want to highlight the need for many of us who celebrate a festive season of lights to not forget our friends and family who struggle with suicidal ideation and depression. According to

  • On hope … and trust … oh, and perseverance!

    This message’s intent is to provide a perspective on what it takes to move our jets nowadays, how the events of 2020 have influenced life on the road, and pass some thanks to the fantastic community that supports us.

  • Quotes from my mobility pilot granduncle’s war diary

    From Oprah Winfrey to Mark Zuckerberg, our nation’s most successful leaders are readers. Warren Buffet spends 80 percent of his day reading. Bill Gates reads 50 books per year. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and retired Marine general James Mattis carried around a library of 6,000 books with him,