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  • 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

  • The uniform: More than a garment

    As an American Airman, I, like all military personnel, swore an allegiance to my country. I swore to protect the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic; I swore to bear true faith and allegiance to the same. I never had any idea, however, how much those words would transform me. Nor

  • Hit the brakes on summer driving

    I really like winter, but even I've had enough. I'm ready for the sun to shine, to run outside, to roll my windows down and speed life up. And if this springtime tease is getting old for a snow lover like me, I can only imagine how it must be for those of you who started your summer countdown last

  • Are you ready?

    Seriously, are you ready? The Air Force of today is significantly different than the Air Force I joined 18 years ago. I can't imagine how different it is for our senior leaders. Part of that difference is that we are a more expeditionary force, a more fit force and a more intelligent force. Today I

  • Wake up and smell the change

    I've been dwelling on one of my favorite sayings lately. It just won't get out of my head. I see it in civilian and military worlds. I see it in the young and old, the mild and the wild. They say the only thing constant in life is change. There's no doubt this statement is true, especially for