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  • Outdoor Recreation trip helps hikers get high on life

    I just returned from a four day backpacking and hiking trip with Outdoor Recreation. I'll start off with what I didn't do. I did not take a two- to four-hour flight running through an airport to meet my connecting flight, sitting next to people I didn't know and, if lucky, finding a seat with limited views of clouds and the earth from 30,000 feet.

  • Young Airmen learn to lead

    For the Airman Leadership School's instructors, class 10-G proved to be a problem. There were simply too many outstanding Airmen to be properly recognized, said Master Sgt. Jim Peters the ALS superintendent. "The award winners were truly some of the best. Some who weren't recognized should have been," Sergeant Peters said. Command Chief Marion

  • Freedom Citation Essay: True freedom is found in those who sacrifice themselves for others

    What is freedom? What is the goal, the purpose of it? How can you judge an ideal like freedom? These questions I ask you because they are relevant to today's society. Today we are stricken with people who don't care to realize what they are given and capable of. Something so beautiful is yet so unappreciated. Freedom is what people take advantage

  • A big thanks to our medical professionals

    I was recently deployed to a forward operating base on the eastern Afghanistan border, and sustained a devastating back injury that incapacitated me. I was unable to sit up, stand up or walk. At that moment, I became totally dependent on those around me to ensure my safety, well-being and treatment. It was a very humbling experience. My teammates

  • Tinker’s transformation journey, a black belt’s perspective

    Twenty-three years ago, a co-worker told me to back away from an obstacle I encountered, and just to accept things the way they are at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. But, I didn't take his advice.As an eager young engineer working in the Aircraft Process Engineering Office, that thinking wasn't acceptable to me. Working here for more than

  • What kind of Airman are you?

    "What do you do for a living?" This is a question I have asked dozens of Airmen over the past few years. The responses I have received to my inquiry have varied from, "I am ... a pilot ... a civil engineer ... an air battle manager ... a computer technician ... an air traffic controller ..." The list of Air Force specialties goes on and on.The

  • I'll call him "Rick."

     I'll call him "Rick." In the words of his military friends and co-workers, Rick was one of the greatest guys you'd ever want to meet: A hard working NCO in a high operations tempo unit, a family man, a compassionate friend always seeking opportunities to help others in his unit succeed. Rick was humble, they said. He would never take credit for

  • Spiritual Wellness: It’s important to have a vision

    Often, we find ourselves in the midst of spiritual "unwellness." Maybe it is because of a lack of challenge, maybe it's exhaustion or maybe it's helplessness. Spiritual "unwellness" can be any situation that leaves us feeling like there is no escape from the present circumstances. The prophet Elijah had this experience after his "big moment," the

  • Courage in uncertain times fueled founding fathers’ drive to independence

    The Air Force is no stranger to uncertainty, change and challenge. The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review outlines four priorities for the Department of Defense: prevail in today's wars, prevent and deter conflict, prepare to defeat adversaries and succeed in a wide range of contingencies, and preserve and enhance the all volunteer force. All of this

  • Why I Serve: Freedom Citation Essay

    Freedom is not just a word, it is also a concept. Freedom doesn't have a definition to me, it has a feeling. Putting into words the feeling of freedom is as daunting a task as counting the drops of water in the ocean. By this, I simply mean I cannot explain everything that freedom is. Freedom is everything from being able to choose what I have for
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