Commentary Search

  • A transformative power of hope

    Deep in the jungle, on the banks of the slow moving Kwai Noi River, 1,740 bronze headstones solemnly remember the lives of great men. The heroes buried in this remote stretch of jungle were members of several allied nations' armed services who perished while serving as Prisoners of War in Japanese

  • One Airman and the little things that matter

    Shortly after the end of World War II, a young Marine corporal stationed in Hawaii jumped the camp fence and "liberated" an officer's jeep for a trip into town. He was later caught and found guilty in a court-martial. The act cost him his Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. Approximately 20 years

  • Building our own towers to the moon

    In his book, Virtues of Leadership, William Bennett shares a folktale from the Dominican Republic that can teach us a great deal of the danger wrought by pride and self-promotion. Long ago there lived an island king who one sleepless night, got it into his head that he would like to touch the

  • In giving meaning to others, we give meaning to ourselves

    History abounds with the names of famous second-mile leaders -- Pitsenbarger, Sijan, Levitow, Cunningham, Mother Theresa--men and women who performed feats larger than life that leave us with examples of heroism, selflessness and service to their fellow man. Too often we put these heroes on

  • The first penguin

    Recently, I had the opportunity to don a penguin costume and jump into a pool of icy cold water, all in the name of a good cause. I, and about 100 others, braved near-zero temperatures to take turns diving into a frosty pool (really an extra large refuse dumpster) to help raise money for Special

  • One Airman and the little things that matter

    Shortly after the end of World War II, a young Marine corporal stationed in Hawaii jumped the camp fence and "liberated" an officer's jeep for a trip into town. He was later caught and found guilty in a court-martial. The act cost him his Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. Approximately 20 years

  • Taking risks; the good and the bad

    Remember the last time you ventured out in a totally new direction, unencumbered by anyone's expectations but your own; an individual goal focused on learning or becoming something (or someone) new? Usually, whether you succeeded to your satisfaction or not, you probably gave yourself a pat on the

  • The paradox of serving others

    This past weekend I had the great privilege of participating in our maintenance group's annual awards ceremony, better known as the Knucklebuster Ball. It was a fabulous event attended by almost 300 people assembled for the sole purpose of honoring those men and women who every day give the best of

  • One mile at a time

    "I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." (Mohandas K. Gandhi) This year our wing embraced a new way of thinking about leadership. One that goes beyond what some people would expect ...and challenges us as individuals to think about our whole

  • 319 Comm Squadron Airmen get AMP’d

    Do you know how many types of live bait Grand Forks AFB Outdoor Recreation has to offer? The AMP'd Airmen from the 319th Communications Squadron can tell you. In lockstep with the wing's "Bring It" theme, the 319 CS developed an Airmen Mentorship Program (AMP) to address both the professional and