Commentaries

Equal opportunity 160 years later: Still a pillar in our society
November 21, 2023 — While President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address only lasted two minutes, the impact of his words lives on. November 19th marked both the 160th anniversary of that iconic speech and the 67th year since President Eisenhower, in collaboration with the National Urban League, connected those famous remarks to what we now celebrate as Equal Opportunity Day. As far back as the 1800s, and again in 1957, Lincoln and Eisenhower encouraged our great nation to join in the effort to abolish all discrimination. They recognized that discrimination hinders the right of each American to advance in accordance with their merits as a human being and their capacity for productive work... MORE

All female frontier for 316th OMRS
March 31, 2023 — As we conclude this year's Women's History Month, the leadership at the 316th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron share their thoughts and perspectives as Air Force military and civilian members, as well as their unique positions in an all-women-of-color leadership team... MORE

Four women of color in uniform stand together in uniform alongside one in civilian clothes.

Reducing holiday stress
December 19, 2018 — While the holidays are often filled with joy, additional stress is also likely. Time is valuable and the added holiday shopping, parties, entertaining, and sometimes being separated from loved ones can be challenging.If the stress becomes overwhelming, you may begin to feel sad, become disinterested in previously enjoyable activities, feel tired or... MORE

'Be There' for someone: Suicide Prevention
September 28, 2018 — September is National Suicide Prevention Month. It’s an opportunity to increase public awareness about the warning signs of suicide and provide information about the resources available to aid someone in crisis. Furthermore, this month will show how individuals, organizations, and communities can work together to save lives... MORE

Preventing suicide - starting with myself
September 6, 2018 — There is rarely a day that passes when I do not think of ending my own life.Some days, my depression is an overwhelming weight to bear and it takes nearly everything I have just to push the thoughts away and get on with my routine.Other days, and even on good ones, the thought creeps up out of nowhere – an insidious sense of doubt. Of worthlessness... MORE

Thank you JBA community
July 9, 2018 — As my time here at Joint Base Andrews winds down, I’ve been thinking about the great things we've been able to accomplish together with our amazing community partners. As I leave this incredible place, I want to use this last opportunity to thank our friends outside the gate for your enduring support of our Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines over these last two years. ... MORE

America's Airmen
July 6, 2018 — Two years ago, at my incoming change of command, I used the term “America’s Airmen” to describe our amazing force in the 11th Wing and at Joint Base Andrews. I used the term as an aspirational statement for an organization who serves and represents not just a unit, but a wing, a base, a service, and our great nation. As I settled into my role as... MORE

Memorial Day: Being thankful for those who came before you
May 22, 2018 — As we approach the end of May, we start to look forward to the warmer months and everything that summer brings with its arrival every year. For most, this means more time outdoors: camping, grilling out, fishing, boating and going to the beach... MORE

Remembering fallen law enforcement officers
May 17, 2018 — This past Monday, members of the 11 Security Forces Group held a wreath laying ceremony to honor the 128 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during 2017. While the sacrifices of these heroes often mirror those of military members, public perception rarely affords them equal recognition. For example, service members in uniform are... MORE

National Police Week 2018 – Remembering the Fallen
May 8, 2018 — Next week, Joint Base Andrews Security Forces will kick off five days of National Police Week activities. Not only will we honor and remember those in law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice, but we will showcase our capabilities as defenders, compete in friendly competition and revel in comradery with our fellow law enforcement officers... MORE

Firefighters stand at ease during the 2017 National Police Week Wreath Laying Ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., May 15, 2017. National Police Week is meant to remember the fallen and honor those who serve as police officers or security forces members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Valentina Lopez)

Avoiding the Hard Way
April 23, 2018 — On June 25th, 1950, the North Korean Army crossed the 38th Parallel headed south. In less than a week they had conquered Seoul, and a few days later they faced a contingent of American military forces assembled in an organization known as Task Force Smith. These proud American military members thought that their mere presence would intimidate the North Koreans. In “This Kind of War” T.R. Fehrenbach said, “It was generally agreed upon that the North Koreans, when they found out who they were fighting, would turn around and go back.” The Americans were wrong!... MORE

Moving as a military child: Looking on the bright side
April 17, 2018 — One of the aspects of life that a military child like me faces is the inevitable moving from place to place. Imagine moving across the state, the country or even the world. Relocation may seem quite overwhelming, but the exposure gained from a move can be incredible... MORE

Readiness at home
March 28, 2018 — The Department of Defense and the United States Air Force properly focus on expeditionary readiness. We have rightfully recited the importance of ensuring “full spectrum readiness to deter combat operations” through our words and our deeds... MORE

Mission, customer service, and pride
March 19, 2018 — Being a part of the 11th Wing is both incredible and very challenging, because for many of you, your mission is both right here and expeditionary. When I flew the HH-60G Pave Hawk for combat search and rescue, deployments were frequent. At the same time, I did not have a home-station mission other than training and being in charge of mobility and deployment requirements. For the most part, when aircrew and aviation support personnel were at home, they were training, spinning up to deploy, or reconstituting... MORE

Be heart smart…celebrating February Heart Health Month
February 27, 2018 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- The month of February has long been symbolized by the heart. The name February came from the Roman goddess “Februa,” the mother of Mars and was recognized as the patroness of passion. As health providers, health coaches, and health educators, it is our passion to improve and empower those around us to make the right... MORE

Readying ourselves today
February 20, 2018 — We don’t know when and we don’t know where we will be employed, but our nation needs us to be ready for all contingencies. Though we may face hardships in our preparation, let us learn from the patience and fortitude of our forefathers to ready ourselves today... MORE

Tobacco free living…You can quit too
February 7, 2018 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Sixteen million Americans have diseases caused by tobacco. Millions more have tobacco related diseases but may not be aware of this. The Air Force promotes a tobacco free military to minimize the adverse impact of tobacco use on health, mission readiness, and unit performance. Tobacco use is the leading cause of... MORE

Children's dental health
January 23, 2018 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- To raise awareness on the importance of good oral health, members from the 11th Dental Squadron will be participating in National Children’s Dental Health Month. The month’s activities will kick off with a “Toothbrush Exchange” Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to noon at the AAFES Exchange on Joint Base Andrews. Children may bring... MORE

Retirement choices
January 17, 2018 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- For many, the beginning of the new year brings in a variety of questions. What kind of personal goals do I want to set? How much weight do I want to lose? How much time can I set aside for volunteering? For me and other service members with less than 12 years of service, or fewer than 4,320 retirement points, we’ll have... MORE

Customer service is all about family
January 3, 2018 — When you take the time to ask people what’s the most important thing to them, many will say it’s their family. However, we don’t always understand what it is to be a family or what it should be. We don’t understand how to maximize the importance of family in our day to day interactions... MORE

Medical Operations Squadron joins the 11th Wing!
December 20, 2017 — Medical Operations Squadron joins the 11th Wing! by Col. Joseph D. Villacis On June 16, 2017, the 79th Medical Wing and all subordinate units were deactivated, to include the 779th Medical Group. The group reactivated as the 11th Medical Group, and all of the subordinate squadrons followed suit. During that official ceremony, the 779th Medical Operations Squadron I took command of in July 2016 became the 11th Medical Operations Squadron (11 MDOS). In that moment, the 11 MDOS inherited the unit emblem that had been officially approved and cataloged when the squadron was last active. However, the emblem was in need of an update. ... MORE

Compliance vs. Commitment
December 6, 2017 — In an environment that is saturated with crisis management situations, our actions and/or behaviors are driven not only by personal experience but are guided by clearly established institutional standards. In addition to these standards that vector our behavior, we are each shaped by our own personal values; principles that often times carry an immense price tag. These inferences are often times the attributing factor when it comes to our performance and whether we meet, exceed or fail to achieve the desired expectations... MORE

Resiliency: Be there for others and let others be there for you
November 22, 2017 — It was a Tuesday evening. I was viewing on-line music videos with my youngest son, when I got the call. It was the call no parent ever wants to receive. I was notified that my oldest son had collapsed while playing volleyball on his college campus and was being transported to the emergency department near school... MORE

Success and Failure
November 8, 2017 — What is your biggest failure? How did you handle it? Looking back, do you think you handled it well? Because really, the question is not if you are going to fail. It’s how you are going to handle that failure... MORE

Finding balance
October 25, 2017 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Throughout my 22 years of serving in the U.S. Air Force I’ve often heard people talk about finding balance between work and personal life. In the beginning, I didn’t fully understand the struggle because I was so focused on being the best Airmen I could be that I didn’t consider I was possibly leaving a void in another... MORE

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