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  • The Last Lecture

    In September of 2006, Randy Pausch, a professor of computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In August of that same year, he was given a terminal diagnosis of three to six months of good health left. He died on July 25, 2008. Carnegie Mellon University had a lecture series at that time titled the last lecture and Pausch gave his last lecture Sept. 18, 2007. He entitled it, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” This lecture was such a hit on YouTube that he went on to do other media appearances and finally wrote a New York Times Bestseller entitled, “The Last Lecture.”

  • Raising Awareness for a daily mission

    Sexual abuse and assault are ongoing psychosocial problems in our society and greatly affect our community. Every military service member and family member, from our children to our leaders, is entitled to a culture of safety, security, and support. It is our individual chance to make responsible choices that impact our community, beginning with respect for ourselves and one another.

  • Military kids: Appreciate what they have

    April is the Month of the Military Child and it is truly an opportunity for us all to recognize and acknowledge the sacrifices made by our kids, who don’t have any choice when it comes to where they will move next. They become experts at learning new cultures, adjusting to new schools and making new friends. Kids excel at facing challenges head-on and grow into community leaders amongst their peers.

  • Every marriage could use a tune-up every now and then

    In 2009, I took a six month “vacation” with the Army to Afghanistan. As an Air Force Chaplain, I served as a “FOB hopper” to nine Army forward operating bases. It was a difficult deployment. I faced setback after setback as I tried to learn how to minister in the Army culture. Despite consistent tragedies and a few deaths, Soldiers were hesitant to get to know, or counsel with, this overconfident Air Force chaplain. Worship services usually involved one to two attendees while services at my home station before I deployed averaged around 1,100 attendees. Near the end of my deployment, I received notification that I was being reassigned after less than two years from my dream job as soon as I returned. I was beyond frustrated.
  • The Deployment and Distribution Flight provides the movement piece of my earlier definition, but that’s a very small piece of what these Airmen do. The deployment aspect of this flight is accomplished through the Installation Deployment Readiness Cell, responsible for coordinating the training and equipping of every deploying Team BLAZE Airman through each squadron’s Unit Deployment Manager. We track their readiness and monitor their status throughout their deployments until they return and are reintegrated back into the home mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Elizabeth Owens)

    What do you know about Logistics?

    When asked what I do in the Air Force, I usually respond, “I’m a logistician”, then I generally get the follow-up question of, “Oh, what is that?”
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