Commentaries

  • When commanders commit crimes

    Over the past few weeks, two rare legal events occurred here at Sheppard--two former commanders were court martialed. I'd like to give you my thoughts on these two cases. The first case was widely reported in the media and involved the former Commander of our 82 TRG. Col Sam Lofton was convicted of

  • An Airman’s Most Important Asset?

    One of our 82 TRW Balanced Scorecard Objectives is to "Permeate training with Air Force culture and values." It implies that our training program should impart more than just technical skills but should also reinforce the qualities of character and leadership necessary for success in our Air Force.

  • Sovereign Options

    Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an Air Force Blue Summit Conference, a gathering of all Air Force general officers and senior civilians in San Antonio TX. At the conference, we heard several updates of various programs across the Air Force. One of the most compelling presentations

  • Accident Takes a Toll, but Reveals Our Strengths

    As many of you figured out, I've been away from Sheppard for some time--5 weeks to be exact. So it's absolutely great to be home! And to be honest, as I surveyed the base and got caught up this week, it quickly became apparent to me that our mission continued to hum along very well without me. I owe

  • Value Your Service, Value Your Life

    As we approach this holiday 3-day weekend, there's a lot I could write about. Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, or the kickoff of our annual 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign. When you think about each of these events, there is a common theme that runs through--the high value we place on lives

  • Don't Get FIGMO'd

    As many of you may have heard, my next assignment was announced last week. Elizabeth and I will be moving on to Scott AFB, Illinois sometime this Summer. I'm not sure exactly when the change of command will be yet, but July is probably a good guess. The new 82 TRW/CC will be Brig Gen O.G. Mannon,

  • A-76 Update

    I know the A-76 process has been a long one, but I remain committed to keeping you informed all along the way and to doing everything possible to ensure our military and civilian Airmen are taken care of properly. As I mentioned in previous A-76 updates, our timeline was likely to slip because of

  • As bright and shiny as a new penny

    A number of my friends and heroes (I think the term now is mentors - but they were always heroes to me) are retiring this year. Hearing them discuss their careers and giving their current views has me thinking about the difference between how you feel when you first join the Air Force and how you

  • Truck vs. motorcycle...who wins?

    Good question, right? How many times have you "missed" that motorcycle or bicyclist when you changed lanes? If you've driven for any length of time, you know that defensive driving includes motorcycle awareness. Many times when an Air Force motorcycle fatality is briefed, we immediately think "what

  • Remember who we're fighting for

    I'm writing my article this week away from Sheppard, on temporary duty to another Air Force base. I'm TDY, because I have been named the president of an Accident Investigation Board, which will be investigating the recent fatality of an Air Force member. Accident investigations are an important part