Commentary Search

  • Recognizing Memorial Day

    Dragons – I’d like to share a moment with you to reflect on Memorial Day.   For the last 148 years, Americans have recognized May 30 as Memorial Day. While it is an opportunity to spend time with our families during the long weekend, it’s also a day we should use as a time to pay tribute to those

  • Celebrating 30 years of SOMS heritage

    This year marks the 30 year anniversary of Keesler Air Force Base hosting the Special Olympics Mississippi summer games. Al Watkins, 81st Infrastructure Division chief of operations, shared his thoughts as he reflects on his years of being a SOMS volunteer. 30 years of SOMS and Keesler

  • The spirit of Special Olympics

    Keesler’s relationship with Special Olympics Mississippi was started by Col. Hank Boardman, former 81st Training Wing commander, then known as the 3300th Technical Training Wing. Hosting the Special Olympics was established as a community outreach program and was designed to join junior officers

  • Special Olympics Mississippi – The perfect community partnership

    It takes attributes like dedication, loyalty, honesty, collaboration, and trust to nurture a relationship for 30 years--it’s no easy feat. The difficulty of the task is even represented by a rare gemstone, a pearl, on a couples’ 30th wedding anniversary. Over the past three decades, dedicated Airmen

  • Wrap up Nat'l Nutrition Month with supplement safety

    Did you know dietary supplements do not need approval from the Food and Drug Administration before they are sold to the public? That’s right, dietary supplements are not subjected to the risk and safety regulations of the FDA. In fact, the FDA does not even see, look at, or know about the existence

  • Road biking to recovery

    The year 2013 was an important year in my life. I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany and on the sixth year of my enlistment in the Air Force. My tour was just about up and I had an assignment notification to Camp Zama, Japan. At the time my girlfriend and I were in the middle of a summer

  • Vietnam: An unpopular war, but an important legacy

    Forty-three years ago today, the governments of the United States, North Vietnam and South Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords. This peace agreement between the three governments ended America’s participation in the Vietnam War and facilitated the release of American prisoners of war held captive

  • December 7, 1941

    At 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941 the sun would rise on the island of Oahu, but not the sun that one might think. This sun rise would bring with it the destruction of nearly the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet, 200 airplanes, and the loss of nearly 2,400 American lives. It would be the rising sun of the

  • On wingmanship

    I have in the past and recently been put in the position to positively change a friend's life. Difficult times and loneliness sometimes plague our members. This is true in all branches of the military and I can attest to this, for I have served in both the Air Force and Marines, as well as been

  • Part Time PA

    As many know, Keesler Air Force Base is a training base and sometimes students must wait after arriving her to start class. It’s not uncommon for those students to receive special assignments to help out other squadrons in the wing. I recently arrived on Keesler as a brand new lieutenant and as