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  • Eight key leadership lessons for all Airmen

    Bob Vasquez has spent more than 35 years watching Air Force officers -- first from his vantage point as a noncommissioned officer and now as an instructor at the Air Force Academy. He's seen junior officers do some good things, and he's seen them do some stupid things that stand in the way of their ability to lead. Seeing the Air Force from the

  • Are we making a difference?

    I returned home in May 2005, after 379 days deployed in the Horn of Africa. It was a long year, and there were many times I wondered whether what we were doing was making a difference. The poverty was unimaginable, the living conditions unbearable, and the threat of Islamic terrorists reestablishing their Talibanlike terrorist training camps in

  • Niner's Notes

    Conventional readiness We've kicked off our convention war training cycle with mass training which began prior to the holiday break and with B-2s deploying to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., yesterday for RED FLAG. As those of us at home prepare for global expeditionary combat support, our team at RED FLAG will sharpen their strike and sorties

  • New year, sharp focus

    Welcome back from the holidays ... and thanks for taking care of yourselves and each other during the break! I hope you enjoyed some well-deserved time off with family and friends. Now it's time to refocus our efforts on the important work we do and our strong tradition of excellence. I know that for many, the New Year brings with it new goals,

  • Challenging the status quo

    "This too shall pass," my mom would always say. The short quip has roots in biblical times, but she was not a religious woman. Mom's point was to seek shelter and let the storm pass - hunker down and persevere. I heard her voice in my head the other day. Warning words in response to a professional storm of change and restructure. Every functional

  • Airmen helping Airmen

    As Air Force Airmen, a critically important task we have each day is to find a way to help ourselves and other Airmen solve problems to get the job done. Where do you start? Start with helping yourself by taking care of your personal life and your family. Don't feel like you're alone, though; we have a large organization standing by to help you

  • Hitting our stride

    Every summer the wing experiences a bit of turmoil as we rotate up to half our commanders and many other key personnel. This creates of period of adjustment as Airmen at all levels integrate into the wing and learn about our unique mission. Recently, I've been seeing widespread evidence that we have emerged from this adjustment period in great

  • Dedication … a component of our core values

    "Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others." -Author Unknown Congratulations, Team Whiteman! Thanks to each of you for your dedicated and focused support of a successful generation exercise this past week. Well done! Yes, there were problems and discrepancy items opened that need us, as a team, to address and

  • Telling the Air Force story builds the relationships we need to succeed

    I first met the woman who would later become my wife 11 years ago at a mall in Newport News, Va. During our initial conversation, she asked what I did for a living and I told her I was in the Air Force.  She asked is if I was a pilot. I said no and told her I was a Public Affairs officer. She then asked what did that mean and I jokingly responded

  • Hot Oppertunities: Upcoming events will relax and recharge

    If you've checked your calendar recently, you've noted that we are already approaching the end of summer. With school starting in less than a week, you may soon be adjusting to a different family "battle rhythm." However, there are still a few opportunities to relax and enjoy yourself before we lose the warm weather. As you read this article, 36
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