HomeNewsCommentaries

Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians

Commentaries

  • Deployed Christmas wishes and a time for thanks

    It's 5:30 a.m. on a Christmas morning and I'm waiting for a flight that will take me through Afghanistan and then over to my deployed location in Southwest Asia. I can't help but think, "Is this a great way to spend Christmas?" My answer to myself is simple:  It depends. I say it depends because it

  • Holiday cheer for the heroes

    I started this year's holiday season off right; waking up Thanksgiving morning in a tin building with 200 Army Soldiers at a combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan.I'm an Airman, journalist and photographer deployed to the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Kabul. My two-week

  • Thank you, Airmen

    Editor's note: The following is a commentary from an Army fires support officer who was stationed at Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, roughly 10 miles from the Pakistan border. The morning of Oct. 3, 2009, erupted in gunfire for this lieutenant and his outpost. These are his remarks to the

  • Remember others this holiday season

    As we begin the holiday season, all of us need to take a break and find time to recharge our mental and physical batteries. And, I want to emphasize the importance of taking care of each other, now more than ever.The concept of watching out for our brothers- and sisters-in-arms is not new. In fact,

  • Deployed warriors: Remember them, support them

    There are people whose sole focus is on the holidays: planning, travelling, wrapping gifts, decorating and spending quality time with family and friends. They are the lucky ones. For many servicemembers, their focus is on making the most out of the time they have before saying goodbye to friends and

  • What does 'People first, mission always' really mean?

    People first, mission always. You've heard it before, but do you know what it means? As warriors in the U.S. military, the requirement to defend our national interests will lead many of you to be away from your friends, families and loved ones, often for months at a time.At some point, you will most

  • Lean metrics: Red is good, green is worthless

    I remember back in my Navy days having a boss who managed under the mantra, "If you aren't measuring it, you aren't managing it." We had metrics for everything, and we briefed them on a regular basis. I remember countless long hours trying to figure out how to explain and justify the metrics in the

  • AFMC commander reports on state of command

    Shortly after I assumed command one year ago, we set out to define our fiscal 2009 priorities for the men and women of Air Force Materiel Command. Through our corporate process we instituted the five Air Force priorities. This past year we made significant progress, and I would like to quickly

  • Air Force family forges bonds, eases strain

    As Airmen, many times we put service before ourselves to accomplish the mission. It's what we signed up for, and it's what we're trained to do. Even so, what is more than a little difficult is when mission requires us to put service before our spouses and children. The Air Force does a great many

  • Giving thanks for veterans

    Two significant holidays occur during the month of November every year - Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. In the United Kingdom, Veterans Day is called Remembrance Day, but the sentiment is the same. Remembrance Day, or Veterans Day, is a day to think about veterans who have served and those who sadly