Commentaries - Page 2

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...

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...

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...

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!...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...