Commentaries

  • Burke's priorities: take care of the mission, take care of the people

    I've had many memorable experiences over the course of 27 years in the Air Force. A few moments stand out--memories that will stay with me long into the future.Wednesday's change of command ceremony was that kind of experience. It was humbling and awe-inspiring to look out at the men and women of

  • Dad dedicates first Father's Day to his daughter

    June 20 will be my first Father's Day.Thus far, all the attention has been focused on my baby girl. It's strange and humbling to think that the focus will be turned to me, the proud new papa, even for a day.Plans for this Father's Day have been kept up in the air. My only concern is to spend it with

  • A change to recycling attitude

    There's a phrase that states, "if we keep doing the same old thing, in the same old way, we'll continue to get the same old result."Every year a team of trained assessors conduct an environmental, safety and occupational health evaluation. It is almost guaranteed that one of the discrepancies that

  • 82nd TRW commander bids farewell

    It's hard to believe that it's already time to move on. Though Barbara and I are looking forward to a new assignment and new opportunities, a part of Team Sheppard and North Texas will stay with us wherever we go. As our time with Team Sheppard winds down, it's important to look back at what we've

  • SARC's remarks

    This month the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Office began conducting Bystander Intervention Training, a new training program to replace the former annual Sexual Assault Response Coordinator training. The idea of becoming an "active bystander" is not something new, but rather a return to the

  • Critical Days of Summer Safety Message

    With summer at the doorstep, I want to reinforce one of my top priorities, safety. As I've said many times, people are truly our most precious resource. To make this a fatality-free summer, each of us must be fully committed to two key principles. First, we must be real wingmen by watching out for

  • SARC's Remarks

    Sheppard had another winning Sexual Assault Awareness Month on the books! Hopefully, you took notice of our 4-foot high, wooden-teal ribbons at the gate entrances and participated in the Target Hardening/Target Intervention classes. Some of you may have even attended our first professional symposium

  • Lorenz on Leadership -- Sustaining a wingman culture

    On April 20, a 22-year-old man with a history of violence walked into a bookstore in Wichita Falls, Texas, and started shooting. He wounded four women, then drove to a bar and killed an employee outside before he drove home and took his own life. This tragedy sounds like so many we hear about on the

  • Celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day

    "If the military had wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one." Remember those words? Well, that was then and this is now. Today's military recognizes the importance of the military spouse and their contributions to the mission by declaring Military Spouse Appreciation Day May 7.

  • What legends are made of

    Legends sometimes wear capes and fly around the skyscrapers of downtown. They sometimes pull a sword from a stone and command a table of knights. And sometimes legends sit quietly on a tour bus and share stories of fighting for your freedom before you were even born.That is how I met retired Col.