Commentaries

  • Share Your Story: My reflections on race, the military, and moving forward

    I couldn’t watch the video. Even repeating the details of George Floyd’s death is difficult to stomach. In the days that followed, I struggled with how to articulate my emotions. Numbness, pain and disbelief washed over me.As a Reserve Citizen Airman living in Seattle, I watched thousands march

  • Independence and diversity

    Socrates said, “To find yourself, think for yourself.” To find oneself is to find one’s independence. Independence is our ability to make decisions and live life free from the control or influence of other people. This definition would suggest that independence can be an isolating concept, but in

  • Social Justice: A chaplain's perspective

    Over the last several weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time, thought, and emotion on the subject of social justice, more specifically racial justice. It has been on my mind and in my heart for years, really, but recent events beginning with the death of George Floyd and continuing with the nation’s

  • Character Matters

    For Fathers’ Day some years ago, my mother sent me a framed document. As a child, I told her a lie. On November 17, 1982, she made me write a page (a whole page!) on the subject, “Why it is good to be truthful.” That page was in the frame. Of course, I had forgotten about this, but she saved it for

  • Why you should "Get Connected"

    Interpersonal connection is a vital component of a happy and healthy life. This fact has been corroborated by both research and anecdote; we humans crave connection to the world around us and to those with which we share it.

  • Our history, our community

    Black History Month is when we set aside time to recognize, remember and celebrate the history of the black community.Our nation pauses to remember trailblazers who left their mark on the world. We celebrate the past as we look to the future.We celebrate the lives of iconic black leaders like U.S.

  • Job Satisfaction

    Job satisfaction is an elusive beast. It has escaped me many times in my military career, especially in my early years. Prior to my commission, I built computers, installed networks and developed applications for small businesses. It was easy to find my sense of satisfaction. The efforts of my work

  • Air Force Medical Reform

    I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the changes that have been made to the Military Health System (MHS) and help decipher the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) transformation. The passage of the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019 directed the