28 May 2015

Military Judge: 'Accused and counsel, please rise.'

For those who have had to hear those words from a Military Judge, as they stood and realized that everyone was looking at them, it is one the most frightening experiences they have ever faced. And if they are accused of an Article 120 (i.e., sexual assault) offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, they could be facing up to life in

23 May 2010

AF safety officials launch Critical Days of Summer campaign

S is for Summer ... and Safety too!It's that time of year again! Spring is here in full force, summer is right around the corner and that can only mean one thing: time for Air Force safety officials to kick off the Critical Days of Summer safety campaign, May 28 through September 7. As much as you would like to think that nothing could happen to

9 Apr 2010

AMC Airmen are Outstanding

Please join me in congratulating our Air Mobility Command Outstanding Airmen of the Year and First Sergeant of the Year. These Airmen have done an incredible job serving our nation, and I'm inspired by their selfless, behind the scenes efforts that support our mission on a daily basis. It takes a great personal commitment on their part, and I

26 Feb 2010

One Airman's point of view: POL is mission ready, willing and able

Jan. 13 started off like any other routine night at work. I arrived for C-Shift duty at Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants, received the daily safety briefing and then relieved the B-Shift workers. The mission was slow, so I took the chance to catch up on e-mail and the nightly news in our distribution lounge. That's when I first heard of the previous

3 Dec 2009

Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do

There are a lot of buzzwords flying around to analyze issues across our Air Force. Some say we need to get "back to basics," suggesting we lack compliance and accountability. The back to basics campaign suggests that we have forgotten our fundamental disciplines taught to us in basic military training. The perceptive trend of personnel not

14 Nov 2009

Communicating in the Age of Technology

Winston Churchill once wrote to a colleague that he didn't have time to write a short letter, so he wrote a long one instead. The irony is that we take less time to write brief, well-written statements and instead choose to write long rambling prose. It is all too easy to hit the send button without contemplating the effectiveness of what one has

29 Oct 2009

‘Fowl-Minded’ Unit Gives Hitler ‘The Bird’

Pope has been involved with a lot of firsts in history. One particular Pope Field first came in the form of the 1306th Carrier Pigeon Company Aviation in 1943. The base newspaper at the time, the Pope Field Runway, reported that the 1306th was the first pigeon company attached to the Air Force. In the beginning of the unit's existence, there were

29 Oct 2009

Cherish, Appreciate Your Spouse

Last week, while walking past the base chapel, I witnessed a scene that caused me to pause and reflect. I turned to watch as people, dressed in their Sunday best, flowed from the chapel doors, smiling and casually chatting. They slowly split into two lines, creating a path that led to a waiting limousine. The crowd stood and waited, fueling my

18 Oct 2009

The rising cost of kindness

I recently did some research on Combined Federal Campaign at Pope and came across some interesting information. Every October, the base newspaper presents the CFC goal for the year. It seems that CFC is always asking for more money!This rising cost of kindness makes me reflect on why I donate. Initially I am tempted to say, "I already give enough

18 Oct 2009

Identify and report suspicious activity

Going to the movies or out for ice cream is an everyday event for most of us. Have you ever noticed anyone taking pictures of the store you were going to or drawing a diagram of where you were? Did you think this was odd? Probably not. Now if I asked you these same questions however, this time the location was the front gate of a military