HomeNewsCommentaries

Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians

Commentaries

  • The bad guy

    Who likes to be the bad guy? Do you? How many of you like to tell someone that they need a hair cut or to stop chewing tobacco outside a tobacco-use area? No one likes to be the bad guy; no one likes to correct someone doing something wrong.Is it because of the confrontation or is it the fear of not

  • Sequestration is here

    By now, most Americans are aware of America's fiscal crisis. The national debt is at $16.5 trillion and rising. The fiscal crisis is driving the need for budget cuts across the federal government. The Defense Department makes up approximately 20 percent of the federal budget, so we should expect

  • A snowstorm, a shovel and a lesson

    "This is a one big mess."Those were my thoughts as I peered out the window of my second floor apartment at a vast blanket of white covering the ground. The sidewalks, steps, and parking lot of the complex were buried under more than 14 inches of snow, dumped on the area courtesy of the

  • When did your leadership light bulb come on?

    In November 1992, a new chief master sergeant was assigned to my squadron. It caught all of our units' Airmen by surprise that the new chief decided to move into the office adjacent to the bathrooms when there were much better locations behind "the glass doors." One early afternoon, I walked into

  • My daughter - my hero: A resiliency success story

    As we recognize American Heart Month this February, I am struck by the thought that heroes and role models don't have to be older than we are. I need only look to my 12-year-old daughter Renae. When Renae was a few hours old, she started turning blue. Within a few hours she was diagnosed with a rare

  • Getting back to basics can save lives

    In the stressed, overworked and strained ops tempo environment of today's Air Force, safety sometimes ends up pushed to the back burner. While cutting back on safety precautions is one solution to our over-filled plates, it is the most dangerous, with literally, life-threatening consequences.

  • A thank you to a great leader

     In 2003, I crossed trained from security forces to become a medical technician. I had just completed technical school and clinical rotations and as soon as I returned to my reserve unit, I was informed to prepare for a one-year activation of our medical unit. The Iraq ground war was in full effect

  • Plan ahead for those you love

    Last year, I dealt with the death of two people close to me. In September, my father passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59, due to an illness. The man I thought to be indestructible, suddenly was gone.Almost exactly two months later, a long-time friend also passed away in the hospital when

  • 'Domestic violence can't happen to me' -- yes it can

    Too many people believe that domestic violence can't happen to them. In fact, perhaps even you may be a member of that group.I am referring to those who prefer to think they are different from the rest of the pack: smarter, more aware and somehow protected from unhealthy people who might otherwise

  • Can distance really make a heart grow stronger?

    At home I can barely get him to buy me a five-dollar bouquet of wildflowers from the grocery store but now that I am deployed he goes all out with hidden notes in care packages, daily emails and nightly text messages wishing me sweet dreams and expressing his love. My husband has learned that in