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Commentary Search

  • God’s speed Chaplain Neuberger

    As the Fairchild Wing Chaplain retires, he ends a distinguished career of service and sacrifice to this nation and its Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines. I know of no Airman who more consistently exemplifies Air Force core values. With multiple tours in Iraq and numerous tours overseas, Chaplain

  • Beware of door-to-door sales

    This past Saturday afternoon I was enjoying my long holiday weekend, relaxing around my apartment when a knock came at the door. When I got to the door it was not a neighbor asking to borrow something or inviting me to a barbeque; instead I was greeted by a young lady selling magazines. She had some

  • What’s Next?

    Sequels: sometimes we love them, sometimes we don't. The word sequel comes from the Latin 'sequi,' meaning to follow. Therefore, a sequel is something that comes as a result of something else. We're most familiar with sequels in the movie industry, for instance "Star Wars" and the "Indiana Jones"

  • Philosophy of a commander

    Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with all branches of the armed forces. On one tour at the Marine Corp Air Station New River, N.C., I was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204) as an initial instructor cadre, flying the MV-22 Osprey. The commanding

  • Honoring our fallen comrades in memory

    His name was Staff Sergeant Leslie V. Sampson, and his is the eighth name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. He was born April 9, 1936, in Richey, Mo. On March 23, 1961, while on a mission from Osan Air Base, Korea, the C-47 transport aircraft in which he was the radio operator was shot down over the

  • Remembering the sacrifices of our fallen heroes and their families

    This Memorial Day I am very aware of the sacrifices being made daily by our American servicemen and women. My recent visit to our fine troops at Dover Air Force Base, Del., where our fallen heroes return with dignity, was a vivid reminder of the cost of freedom. As military members, Memorial Day is

  • The shoreline of wonder

    One of the more fascinating job titles I've come across lately is "Explorer." If I were to describe "explorer" I might say something like this: an explorer is a person who travels from one place to another, all the while paying particular attention to everything. Explorers are on my mind this week

  • Reveille and retreat

    It is a shame we can take the time to enjoy a beautiful sunny afternoon, but many of us won't take the time to honor our nation's flag and the sacrifice it symbolizes. On a sunny afternoon recently, I was running on base when "Retreat" sounded. It blew me away when the bugle sounded and cars

  • Earn This

    In the summer of 1998, there was a lot of discussion in the media about the opening 10 minutes of the film "Saving Private Ryan" and how traumatic it might be for our greatest generation, those who actually stormed the beaches at Normandy and lived to tell us their tales. As I sat in a very cold

  • Make the journey with no excess baggage

    In the days of paddleboats on the Mississippi river, two boats departed Memphis for New Orleans. As they lumbered along, the crews from each paddleboat taunted each other about the snail's pace each was making on the journey. Soon insults were hurled, challenges made, and a race was on to New