Commentaries

  • Are you registered?

    Happy New Year! It's great to see that all of our Team Sheppard personnel made it back safely from the holidays. I hope you're all rested, energized and ready to tackle our mission once again in 2008. As we start this new year, there is one area I'd like you to add to your resolution

  • Waiting

    I didn't cry when my mother died. Not that I wasn't sad--I had just been expecting it for too long. Since I was five, in fact. It was near Christmas, and my older sister and I were standing outside the skating rink three hours after it closed, waiting for her to pick us up. A police officer finally

  • Visit was a victory for Team Sheppard

    Last Thursday and Friday, Col Dave Petersen, 80 FTW/CC, and I hosted a 2-day visit by our AETC Commander, Gen Looney, his Command Chief, CMSgt Luzader, and their spouses. The visit took an incredible amount of planning and preparation by both wings, covering every aspect of their itineraries to

  • A Hero's Anniversary

    Tuesday was a significant day on our base and in our Air Force. It was the one year anniversary of the day Maj Troy Gilbert, an F-16 pilot with the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing in Iraq, was killed in action while flying his F-16 in combat. On that day, I attended a touching "Service of Commemoration"

  • Thank you for staying safe on Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving is one of our simpler holidays. It's a time for gathering with friends and family, sharing a meal and company, and giving thanks for all the blessings we have received over the year. My wife Elizabeth and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your selfless

  • Keeping Us 'Technically the Best'

    Occasionally I overhear a comment or detect a sentiment here at Sheppard that goes something like this: "we're just a training base" or "we're not operational" or "we're not the tip of the spear" or "I can't wait to get back out into the field." Mind you, I don't hear this very often . . . just once

  • Make a difference: November is Adoption and Military Family Awareness Month

    Besides Thanksgiving, November is also a very special month as it is Military Family Awareness and Adoption Awareness Month, celebrating the importance of family. The adoption of a child is a very special gift for everyone involved. I have been blessed that I have been able to adopt as well as

  • '101 Critical Days' Lessons – Wingman Day/Holiday Season Awareness

    Please accept my thanks for another tremendous fiscal year in executing the 2 AF mission of "Producing the best trained combat ready Airmen". Your extraordinary efforts resulted in the production of over 119,000 technical training 'schoolhouse' graduates and 29,000 new Airmen from Basic Military

  • Know Your Story

    When I was a new Lt Col action officer at the Pentagon, my boss asked me "What's your story?" To my confused response, he replied, "As an action officer, you need to know your story. You need to be able to quickly pitch your key issues and programs to any senior officer who you might confront in a

  • Don't Fall Down on Fitness

    As we move into November, the Holiday Season is right around the corner. With that time of year comes the promise of time off with family, the chance to take leave, more indoor activities, and the opportunity to "eat, drink, and be merry." All of these are good, but for many this becomes a