HomeNewsCommentaries

  • Fostering teamwork: It's not about you

    Henry Ward Beecher once stated, "No man is more cheated than the selfish man." Individualism, entitlement, self-servitude and egotism well ingrained in our personalities are cancers to team development. The cure rests in selflessness, genuine caring of others and a strategic mindset. The

  • An October Christmas

    Military necessity sometimes collides with holiday activities, even Christmas. This was the case in July 1995, when the Army unit I commanded in Baumholder, Germany, was ordered to deploy to Macedonia in support of a United Nations' mission along the borders of Kosovo and Serbia. Time was short

  • Santa's climate survey

    Is Santa holding on too tight? Has he created a hostile workplace environment? I'm not saying the big guy is a toxic leader, but he likes being the center of attention, he certainly lacks self-awareness and self-control (just look at him), he always barks orders, he is operationally rigid, and by

  • Military faces a quiet enemy – suicide

    Medic -- I'm hit!" On the battlefield, a call for help from a comrade in trouble triggers an immediate response. Teammates do not hesitate, and often risk all to answer calls and cries from a buddy in distress. Combat is indeed dangerous, and during the past decade, a heavy toll has been exacted on

  • Mental fortitude: the fire within

    As I sat watching a pre-season National Basketball Association game, I found myself pondering the 2011 playoffs. I'm still flabbergasted that the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat. Turning to my husband, the self -roclaimed basketball aficionado, I asked what happened. Didn't Miami have the

  • Kinds of leaders

    Retired Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin J. Butler is one of my heroes. As a young officer during World War II, Butler led soldiers in combat in both the North African and Italian campaigns. By March 1945, he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star,

  • Not just a black eye

    Domestic violence often brings to mind a woman looking fearful and downtrodden with a swollen black eye. However, domestic violence has many complicated components. Domestic violence is defined as an intentional pattern of abusive tactics used by one partner in an intimate relationship to obtain and

  • More than 225,000 diagnosed with breast cancer annually

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, occurring in one out of every eight women over a lifetime. It is the second leading cause of death after heart disease in women ages 50-75. There are more than 225,000 new cases of breast cancer every year, causing approximately 40,000

  • Cultural battlegrounds: Why culture matters in the Global War on Terror

    In every culture, there exists the possibility of a mob of people that could be easily compelled to action by those who know how. Understanding culture, for the military professional, should be thought of as the art and science of understanding cause and effect in social contexts. In operational

  • Traffic Safety - Are you 'Highlighting' yourself?

    Summer's gone and the days are getting shorter. Have you exercised your personal risk management and assessed how that shift in daylight might affect your visibility and safety? I'm not just talking about how well you can see in the dark, but how well others can see you. Air Force Instructions, such