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Change of Command: Celebrate Parade Rest
Although geese fly in formation, they did not waddle on the parade field at Scott AFB. No goose steps. The left feet hit the turf on the beat of the bass drum. Flights, squadrons, groups and wings presented polished top notched personnel, as always, ready to shine and report to General Welsh, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Our military has a time honored tradition to uphold precision and honor in a way that showcases the challenge of working together. The step by step, in step march of men and women blends the missions the training and the esprit de corps of individual squadrons, groups and wings: they…
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The Cost of the “Five Finger Discount”
It was a simple project: put on the new grill flame covers purchased at a big box store. The old ones had rusted and worn out and these replacements would “take a sec to put on ” and including time to wash and clean the grill … 15-20 minutes in a busy schedule. Sounded simple! Flame covers that were maximum protectedThen came the packaging material on each of the four flame covers – very tough garage scissors were required to cut through the plastic on each one. It was not a simple process and each one seemed to take an hour to open to just remove the product. Then the…
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The Game of Life Has a Coach: Sister Elizabeth
Goals and principles, guidelines and pathways; no dice to roll or spinner to click but a level headed approach to an end game. Those who enter the game plan of The Mission Continues come with heart in hand, a desire for direction and a dream to be attained. Recovery from injury is not a cake walk. The time it takes to heal is not laid out in blocks with an easy view to end. But the desire to get in the game is real with each member of the group. And each member has their own story, a true character and a real life. Sister ElizabethLet’s get started! Enter Sister…
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Your Voting Opportunities Just Got Easier! DoD Blogger Roundtable
Time does seem to fly! We are approaching Veterans Day 2011 so fast. Do you know that by next Veterans Day we will have had elections for President, Congress and local officials too! Why talk about elections now? Because so many of our veterans and in particular, active duty folks did not vote in 2010 or 2008! The folks with so much at stake with the direction of their government; either, made the choice not to vote, or had a problem getting their ballots. So… we talked to Mr. Bob Carey, director, Federal Voting Assistance Program during a Bloggers Roundtable yesterday and he outlined what the federal government and DoD…
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It Takes More Than an Infantry Force to Win in Afghanistan! DoD Roundtable
Deh Afghanan village, Afghanistan, May 27, 2011This is a time of transition in Afghanistan. The winter is over and summer has arrived with a vengeance. But more importantly, the transition from a NATO/US led force to an Afghan led military is in full swing! In the year 2014 the plan is to turn the lead over to the Afghan National Security Forces for defense of their own country! A big step but one that requires infrastructure, support forces, training institutions, logistics, plus …! We can create the best fighting infantry and lose the war in 2014 if we do not leave the Afghans with educators, qualified mechanics, supply experts, civil…
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“On my Spring Vacation I rode the Metro” – How to handle Stress
My family spent part of our Spring Break in Washington DC, as I have mentioned a couple times now. It was a quick trip with only 2 1/2 days of touring. In fact, it was never even a full day as six year-old’s legs (in particular) get tired quickly. But we made the most of it! We visited Arlington Cemetery, The Smithsonian Air & Space as well as Natural History Museum. We found our way into a Smithsonian Outdoor Garden full of sculptures and fountains. (A hit for our boys after a very over-crowded Air & Space museum!) We took in the World War II memorial and the Vietnam Memorial as well…
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Worry and Its Diminishing Return
Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. – Theodore N. Vail This week BabyBoy *L* broke out in a terrible rash. It started on Wednesday morning and I decided to not overreact as I feel I so often do. He wasn’t overly-fussy or scratching at himself. Simply, his body had broken out in hives /everywhere/; from the top of his head to his ankles, around his arms and in all of the folds of his skin. I knew he had his well-baby, 6 month, checkup on Friday and thought, eh, he’s fine. We will make it to Friday. It was taking everything in…
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Traditions
Autumn has fallen upon us with force. Halloween decorations have been long put away and thoughts of Thanksgiving meals are upon us; followed quickly by Christmas lights, gifts and carols. ‘Tis The Season My family will soon pack up the minivan to drive ‘over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go!’ A long-weekend with my parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. But that is just a piece of the ‘Thankgiving Tradition’. Some years we do Thanksgiving with my husband’s family which involves his grandmother and all of her siblings and their families. It’s a HUGE gathering! As an Air Force Brat there were years that my…
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Points of View
I love art. I love the reasons for art… could be world history, could be sensory perception, could be hormones! I’m open. I hear about a subject and I can somehow see a thread of art history gleaming in and being woven into the fabric of the story. Life’s lesson is coming in through the ear, and yet my eye goes into a Rapunzel’s spinning wheel working overtime… coming up with the golden thread and is very pleasing to me at least!Yet my good friend Pam,sitting right next to me, gets lost… glassy eyed when I start recounting with joy what I think… I can tell the posture slumps, the…
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Consider the Army’s electric footprint – DoD Roundtable
I had the opportunity to interview a few key players discussing the Army’s energy security mission. On the call were; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Howard Bromberg, Commanding General, Fort Bliss; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard, Deputy Chief of Staff, G3, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command; Mr. Jerry Hansen, Army Senior Energy Executive, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategic Infrastructure; Dr. Kevin Geiss, Program Director for Energy Security. Mr. Hansen defined the Army energy security mission as: “Make energy a consideration for all Army activities to reduce demand, increase efficiency, seek alternative sources, and create a culture of energy accountability while sustaining or…
