28 Jul 2014

A personal reflection

It seems that throughout my life I have never been one to learn things the easy way, somehow taking the trial-by-fire route instead. So why would anything be different when I was given the task of leading the 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs team? My initial thought of an uneventful three-year assignment to the middle of Montana, working on my

15 Jul 2014

One Air Force -- One Team

Roll Call! We have nearly 690,000 Airmen in our Air Force, from 4 distinct components: Active Duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Civilian Airmen - without question the Strength of our Team. The components have different backgrounds and cultures, with varying capability and capacity, but only when we join forces do we become the United

3 Jun 2014

Why I love being a missileer

While I was in college I got married and had my first child. My primary focus was supporting my young family. I did a lot of different jobs including fast food, construction and working at Walmart (some at the same time during the summer). I contemplated my future employment prospects and earning potential a lot during those days. My original goal

13 May 2014

Hanging up the hat

My morning routine starts with an alarm - as do most peoples. But the next step of my routine is only done by nearly 330,000 of the nation's more than 300 million people - only 10 percent of the nation. Every morning I wake up and put on my Air Force uniform.I have been an Airman 24/7 for the past four years, and in a short couple of weeks, I will

9 May 2014

Finance in-processing and BAH recertification

As Airmen and their families begin to change duty stations, it is important to in-process at the Finance Office within five days of arriving at your new base. Why is this important?· You get your money faster· Your Basic Allowance for Housing rate gets updated before a potential debt is created· Your Government Travel Card is paid off before it is

25 Apr 2014

Safe summer planning

As the weather warms up, people are starting to think about getting outside and having fun. In all the vacation planning and road-trip mapping, here are some plans to consider: How does a free, six-month trip to Cascade County Jail sound? How about paying for a taxi to tour Glacier National Park? What about booking an extended stay in intensive

18 Apr 2014

SHAZAM

Over the last three weeks there has been a plethora of emotions that have been running through a good majority of the men and women in Wing One in light of recent events - shock, disbelief, anger, sadness and, most of all, fear of the unknown. All of these emotions felt all at once by a single event and you have to ask yourself why? Because one of

4 Apr 2014

Lessons my mustache taught me

In February, Mustache March was a grand idea. In my mind's eye, I saw myself proudly strutting through the squadron bristling with masculine whiskers, fending off fawning admirers while humbly accepting effusive compliments on my bodacious mustache. Yet, as with many things in life, reality was far different. Let's just say that my grooming time

21 Mar 2014

AFSA: Airmen helping Airmen

I'm sure many of you have heard of the Air Force Sergeants Association, or AFSA, and probably wondered, "what is that all about?" AFSA is a non-profit organization solely dedicated to representing enlisted active-duty members, retirees, veterans and their families. In a nut shell, we are Airmen for Airmen.When AFSA speaks, Washington listens. It's

21 Mar 2014

Hard at work

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund BurkeSeventy-six years ago, on March 12, Nazi Germany annexed Austria. This annexation was also called the Anschluss.Good men stood by and just thought that eventually Hitler would be appeased. Just let him have Austria, so he'll be happy. Well, maybe Yugoslavia,