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  • Below the surface of anxiety

    In the Air Force, you constantly hear resiliency messages and taglines. I was like everyone else and didn't take these messages seriously, but they're here for a reason. This is my reason.I hate to admit it, but it's true. I live every day in fear. Anxiety boils down to fear regardless of whether

  • Sexual assault survivor: 'You are not alone'

    I remember the day like it was yesterday. My heartbeat echoed in my head as I attempted to dry my sweaty hands on my jeans. I was 21 years old, sitting in a Korean court room, waiting to be questioned by prosecutors. How I ended up here was unreal. Just a few months ago I was happy; I had a loving

  • What’s your social thumbprint?

    We've all done it; in a vain sense of curiosity to see if our social presence has made any kind of impact on the world. Just admit it - you've Googled yourself.Since entering the golden age of social media, it seems that now, it's not hard to gather a handful of information on just about anyone,

  • Kudos to Eagle Eyes

    The moment we pulled around the corner to get on base, security forces had their M4 carbines at the ready and were yelling for us to put our hands in the air.I was one of three Airmen participating in an Eagle Eyes exercise the 48th Fighter Wing Inspection Team put together to test the vigilance of

  • From start to finish; lessons learned

    Today is Friday, March 13, 2015.  Today makes 23 years and three months since I arrived at basic military training to start my military service.  Today is also the day of my retirement ceremony, the symbolic end to my military career. As I look back at my time in the Air Force, I'm extremely

  • Pursuing dreams to fly, fight and win

    Have you ever been told you didn't have what it takes while pursuing a goal? Did you believe it?I did.My final year in college, the Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment commander met with each senior to discuss our Air Force future. When asked what I hoped to do, like most of my peers I

  • There is no substitute for hard work

    One of the questions I am often asked is, "How did you get promoted to chief master sergeant so quickly, with less than 20 years of service?"  Although there is no easy answer or one specific event that has led me to being in this humbling position, I normally answer by attributing making the rank

  • Resolutions you can definitely keep

    As 2014 comes to a close, thoughts of personal change and new beginnings develop. Hopeful attitudes and renewed determinations quickly dominate Facebook statuses and Twitter updates as people devote themselves to a new lifestyle.However, more often than not, the motivation from so many broad, vague

  • RUfit? Thriving outside the biodome

    Staying fit, sharpening our knowledge about suicide and building resiliency are all hot topics in today's Air Force. As all of these elements are crucial, resiliency encompasses almost everything that weighs heavy in our day-to-day missions.Military families know how difficult times can be when

  • A second Renaissance

    I used to smile more. During those carefree days of my youth when my friends and I would run like lost boys through the woods - building tree forts and "playing Army." The world was simpler then, or maybe I was just that naïve. But one thing is true, the older I get the more the world seems to