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  • Are your boots polished?

    A few years ago I read a book about Gen. George S. Patton that covered his career and leadership style. In the book, General Patton was quoted as saying “If you can’t get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how you are going to get them to die for their country?” Those words still resonate and are

  • One Team, One Focus: Mission Readiness

    Men and women of the United States Air Forces Europe, I believe you are the absolute best of the best. For one, you answered the call to serve something bigger than yourself and I am proud to stand beside you in the defense of free people everywhere. I am especially proud because we live the idea of “Three”. We are an Air Force of Three. We are

  • Irresponsible Drinking: Bad for your health, wallet, career

    Everyone knows drinking alcohol can affect your health, wallet and career. So why do some continue to drink irresponsibly? While having the occasional cocktail isn’t the end of the world, trained professionals say it isn’t exactly a good thing. “Although most people think that it takes being a very heavy drinker to have negative effects on health,

  • Smart Ops 21 enables troops to accomplish the right things

    You’re going to start hearing a lot about Smart Ops 21. I want to put it in real terms for each of you. It’s not about doing more with less. It’s about doing more and less; more of the right things and less of what keeps us from them. We’re already dealing with the realities of a constrained budget and less than 100 percent manning. It’s about

  • Finding ways to make work fun is half the battle

    One of the phrases I always remember from my officer training days is, “if you aren’t having fun, you aren’t doing it right.”It didn’t mean you should ignore your duties and responsibilities, it simply meant you should find ways to enjoy what you are doing. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you should take inventory of the possible causes and

  • Strong leadership is a great balancing act

    The key to being successful in the military is our ability to develop good leadership practices. Our Air Force culture expends vast resources aimed at achieving well-trained leaders.We should appreciate our professional military education and embrace every opportunity to develop leadership skills both in and outside the classroom. I have spent much

  • OPSEC importance spans Cold War to present

    I arrived at my first operational assignment at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, almost 23 years ago -- just in time for the wing’s annual Operational Readiness Inspection. During the Cold War, a Strategic Air Command bomb wing was always a tense place, but a SAC wing during its annual ORI? Let’s just say Hollywood made movies about SAC ORIs

  • Every USAFE member should take pride in CSIP successes

    In the three months since becoming part of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, I’ve been continually amazed by the incredible things going on in this command and the men and women who make it happen.USAFE is one of the busiest MAJCOMs in the Air Force. Whether it’s supporting peacekeeping and humanitarian operations across the globe, participating in

  • Ethical behavior is priceless

    “Integrity First” is the primary, foremost and most often repeated core value for Air Force servicemembers. Ultimately, it seems clearly accepted that doing the right thing, even when no one is looking, is the bedrock on which our Air Force culture is built. But the question remains, what does integrity look like?Brig. Gen. SLA Marshall stated in

  • Holding down the fort

    There have been many families from numerous squadrons bidding their loved ones tearful farewells as they deploy, knowing many greatly treasured days of the year will be missed with so many holidays falling within this Air and Space Expeditionary Force cycle.There is nothing that can fill the void left by the absence of our loved ones, but it is
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