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  • Celebrate independence, rights Americans earned

    Happy Independence Day Lajes! Our nation will celebrate its 232nd Birthday Friday. I recently finished reading a biography of Benjamin Franklin from our awesome library. If you haven't been in there yet this summer, you are the worse for it. The staff are pro's and the opportunities are unlimited

  • 'So what did you get?'

    "So what did you get?" "An 11." "An 11 on your runtime? Man, that's pretty good!" "No I got an 11." That's right, I scored an 11 out of 100 on my annual PT test. That was in 2005, I had just moved from Vance Air Force Base, and I was in serious trouble. I hadn't taken things seriously at all; I'd

  • USAFE Airmen embrace command priorities

    I recently returned from visiting U.S. Air Forces in Europe bases in the United Kingdom, and I may be a bit biased, but I truly believe that USAFE is the best command in the Air Force! I'm so proud of the accomplishments I see and thankful for the sacrifices each of you make every day for the

  • I may not believe in God, but I believe in chaplains

    I've never really had much in the way of faith. My dog tags say "agnostic" on them. I don't attend a church, synagogue, or mosque. I live my life the best way I know how. I'm not anti-religion, far from it; I have just never felt the need to express my spirituality through worship. There's no shame

  • If you can't stand the heat ... stay out of the fire department!

    It's a common misconception among my friends and coworkers that I have a thing for firemen. Yes, it may be true that my face is so familiar at the fire department that they gave me my own - personalized ("Fire Department Public Affairs") - T-shirt. Yes, I'm on first name terms with many of the

  • My DUI conviction changed my life

    Attending the USAFE Road Show the other week was very hard for me because I knew that I was "that guy" that they were talking about. I made a bad decision one night that I can never take back. The conviction of Driving Under the Influence of alcohol has been a completely life changing experience. I

  • Liberty Warriors remember one of our own

    Editor's note: The Senior Airman Jason D. Nathan Gate was dedicated June 1. Airman Nathan was mortally wounded by an improvised explosive device June 23, 2007 while on combat patrol in Tikrit, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Although an overcast sky and chilly winds are common English

  • Motorcycle safety: Use your brain to ride smarter, safer

    As the saying goes there are two types of motorcycle riders, those who've crashed and those who will. This year, only a few months into the season, we seem to be doing more crashing than riding. So far luck has been on our side, but at this rate it's only a matter of time before someone gets

  • There is always help, just look to a wingman

    Heavier deployment commitments are taking military members away from their loved ones more today than ever. Not to mention the normal day-to-day stressors imposed on anyone already under strain could be considered the proverbial straw. The solution -- any medical professional would agree -- is never

  • Motorcycle safety is no accident

    It is the time of year when the rain has decreased, the temperature is increasing and the sun is shining. This time of year also brings out a special breed of people, in numbers that may seem almost overwhelming at times -- motorcyclists. Germany is a motorcyclist's dream, and they come out in