Commentaries

  • Focusing on my Islamic faith helps make military service possible

    I thank God (Allah in Arabic) every single day that I was born into the Islamic faith. Islam is so pure, and without it I would not be the person I am today. My parents taught me to how to practice our faith from an early age. When I was five, I learned to pray all five Islamic daily prayers (the

  • Lessons in Risk Management

    If you are anything like me, when you hear the word ‘safety’, you likely have something that immediately comes to mind. When I was a child, being safe was following a ‘Walk, Don’t Run’ sign at the local pool. As I started driving, fastening my seat belt as I got into the car was my conscious

  • Fostering a Culture of Excellence and a Winning Mindset

    Many of us have been given a project or duty that is inherently an uphill battle. We look at the situation and it is almost impossible to not be discouraged by the daunting tasks that lay ahead. It is in this moment we all have two choices in front of us; we can embrace this challenge with our

  • Staying connected and developing a culture of caring

    Many of us are or have struggled with personal issues, mental health problems, COVID stress, financial strain, work strain, family strain, or have dealt with losing a friend, fellow Airman or family member to suicide. We may feel like we have lost those connections that make us feel whole. We all

  • 21st Century Leadership: Innovation & Embracing Change

    Over the past year and a half the world has faced a global pandemic, stock market collapse followed by its meteoric rise, global political changes, and rampant social unrest. During this time frame and despite the global upheavals, the U.S. military’s core missions did not change. The war against

  • Historical look back at Afghanistan

    Like so many of you, I woke up this week (August 15-18) reading the news, a horror and sadness settling into my stomach. Kabul has fallen to Taliban forces. Afghans fleeing for their lives, a resurge of terror and violence. Afghan interpreters to U.S. and Coalition forces, immediately targeted by

  • Arming local teachers, police against PSB

    It’s a topic no one wants to talk about, but that doesn’t make the discussion any less necessary. It’s PSB, or Problematic Sexual Behavior, and educators face it quite often in their jobs. Problematic sexual behavior in youth is defined as behavior that involves using sexual or private body parts in

  • Harness your experience

    Throughout your career, aim to take on new and difficult additional duties or assignments.  These will build and prepare you for future challenges.

  • We Lost the Cows…the Power of Self Reflection

    As leaders, it is vitally important to reflect and look upon the past experiences that have shaped our lives and affect who we are. There are certain moments, clips of mental images and experiences, that time warp my mind, body and spirit into a “holodeck” like encounter. Encounters that allow me to