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  • Please, hang up and drive

    If you've been in the Air Force for a while, you might know the name Gary Kunich. He worked for European Stars and Stripes around the time I first entered the Air Force in 1999. He retired in 2006 as a master sergeant, but he has never put down the pen: today he writes for local publications in his

  • To be stereotyped as an Airman

    When we hear the word stereotype, we tend to attach negative connotations to it. After a conversation I had a few months ago, that word changed for me.In late March, my wife Kelly and I attended a course at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, as part of our preparation for squadron command. The course

  • SecDef retires, addresses servicemembers

    To the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces: It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve and to lead you for the past four and a half years. All of that time we have been engaged in two wars and countless other operations.It has been a difficult time for you and for your families,

  • The bottom L.I.N.E. how retirees, active-duty stay connected

    How do you see or view retirees? What's your perception of retirement? Do you assume that most retirees are interested in gardening, golfing, fishing, or rocking on the porch? Do you define retirement as a time to play, or do nothing, or as an endless vacation? According to the Association of

  • Your advocate in times of need

    You may have seen posters around base saying, "Defending Those Defending Freedom," and wondered to yourself what the Area Defense Counsel office does, and what we can do for you. If this has happened over the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed that there is a new defense paralegal here,

  • COMPACAF delivers Memorial Day message

    On May 30, 2011, our Memorial Day, we will honor our service members who have paid the ultimate price in the full spectrum of military operations in the defense of our great Nation.We honor the legacy of those that have served and given their all, and certainly inclusive in this long line are our

  • The last ride

    Editor's note: Chaplain (Capt.) David Leonard is a Chaplain at Andersen Air Force Base.I handed a coin to the driver saying, "You are taking my brother-in-law on his last ride. I don't want you to forget this." No one who knew Maj. Philip Ambard will ever forget him. He was born in Venezuela, but

  • Engineer or Teacher?

    It has been five months since I arrived at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier. With this being my second deployment as an engineer and contracting officer representative it seemed to me that this would be a simple assignment, but I have since come to realize that being an engineer is not my sole

  • Do you know the truth about yourself?

    "The unexamined life is not worth living" - SocratesThere is a risk associated with success and a great risk associated with great success. As you rise in rank, it's easy to start believing you are smarter, better looking and less fallible, when a quick glance in a mirror would reveal the truth. Do

  • Driving under the influence

    I have been an F-16 crew chief for 16 years. In early December 2010, I was a master sergeant awaiting the results from my second attempt at promoting to senior master sergeant.Everything was going well in my career, and I felt good about my chances of making my next stripe. I was where I wanted to

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