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  • Basic instinct: teen dating

    As a parent, protecting our children is a basic instinct. From teaching them to look both ways before crossing the road, to avoiding a hot stove, we begin educating our children about the dangers of life early on. In a survey of parents, 81 percent admitted that teen dating violence is not an issue

  • Change is upon us!

    This month we said "Farewell" to Col. Dave Pavey of the 927th and welcomed the wing's newest commander, Col. Doug and Ann Schwartz to the Team MacDill family.We are excited to welcome the Schwartzs back to Tampa and wish them all the best in the coming years. The wing also bids "Farewell" to our

  • A day of service

    I like holidays. Actually, I love holidays and wish we had many more of them. Special dinners, family gatherings, three-day weekends and four-day work weeks are all simple pleasures that soothe my soul.Of the 1,100 proposals for federal holidays that have ever been considered, the United States

  • You always remember the people

    When I was graduated from high school, I joined several of my friends for a senior trip. Our senior trip was a cruise to the Bahamas. Decades later, I can hardly remember any of the sights or islands that we stopped by, but I will never forget the people with me on the trip. Each military assignment

  • "There I was...: Deployment as a learning experience"

    I knew from the day I joined the Air Force that I would be tasked to deploy. I just never knew that I would have so much fun doing it. While it was difficult being away from my husband and missing the birth of our dog's eight puppies (they were so cute). I had an incredible experience on my first

  • The value of lifelong learning

    We in the Air Force share an enduring core value of "Excellence in all we do." In order to make ourselves better -- as Airmen, supervisors, leaders, followers, and citizens -- we must commit ourselves to a continuous process of self-improvement, one of "lifelong learning."There are varying concepts

  • Wing Ma'am: "Are we ready to get married?"

    DEAR WING MA'AM: My girlfriend and I have been together for three years. We have our good times and our bad. We support each other's goals and careers. Things between us are great. We've talked about getting married someday. The thing is, I just got orders. Now, I feel a little pressure to make a

  • Why do we care about competition?

    Fiscal year 2013 has begun. We started the fiscal year with a continuing resolution in place to keep our government operating at FY12 funding levels.We know we can expect reductions in current funding levels. The worst of the reductions could be the automatic budget cuts that will result if the

  • There I was: Deployment to Krygyzstan for Christmas

    I was told that I had been tasked to deploy to the Transit Center at Manas, Krygyzstan, on July 10. My report no later than date was Dec. 25, Christmas Day.There were mixed emotions that came with this news. My initial reaction to this news was excitement, followed by the realization I would be gone

  • He’s really nice to me — sometimes

    DEAR WING MA'AM: I've been dating a guy for almost five months. He's really cute and charming to everyone and really sweet to me -- sometimes. Lately, I've noticed he's acting excessively jealous. He accused me of flirting with some guy at the gym, and I recently caught him going through my cell