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  • This Memorial Day remember those who served and make safety a priority

    Each and every day of service you give to our Nation, you are honoring the men and women who have given their lives in defense of freedom. With the Memorial Day weekend upon us, please pause a moment to reflect on those who came before us. Courageous men and women whose selfless devotion secured the

  • There I Was: Squaring off with the Rove Beetle, other dangerous enemies

    The deployment came down as a tasking to Africa; Ethiopia to be exact. My first thought was, "does the Air Force have active duty members in Ethiopia?" Then I wondered what my mission was. Soon, there came instructions to attend a Tropical Medicine course held at Walter Reed Army Institute of

  • Farewell MacDill!

    It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with all of you on Team MacDill. Cathy, the boys and I will cherish our time here and miss all of you.MacDill is special. The 6th Air Mobility Wing is a world-class organization on a world-class base. Not just that, but we have the privilege of supporting

  • Stepping up to the plate for moms

    There I was, 36 years ago in the bottom of the 6th inning. My little league team was down five to four. We had runners on second and third and there were two outs, "Now batting, the center-fielder, number 11, Rob Rocco." I still get chills thinking about how stressful those moments can be for a

  • That essential element of success: leadership

    Sports radio host Jim Rome posed a thought-provoking question on his show in reference to the NBA basketball playoffs. He asked whether it was the process (system) or the players in the process that makes a team successful. I gave it some thought, asked others' opinions and concluded the two are

  • AMC: Maintaining a Global Lifeline

    More than a decade after the start of American involvement in Afghanistan, pilots and aircraft belonging to a global mobility enterprise headquartered amidst the cornfields of Illinois here continue to provide a lifeline for thousands of Americans overseas.Each day, Air Force C-17 and C-130 aircrews

  • Team MacDill knows our priorities; some team standouts

    Every now and then, I like to remind you of our top priorities within the 6th Air Mobility Wing. The longer I'm here, though, the more I realize you don't really need reminders. Perfect example: you've been doubling down on readiness, our number one priority, during this Year of Conspicuous

  • The Year of Conspicuous Compliance; keep charging

    America has entrusted you and me with missions vital to our national security. These are no-fail duties. We must ensure we're always ready to perform them, and that requires an incredible amount of attention to detail every day, not just when the klaxon sounds. Part of that effort is being certain

  • Identifying the five enduring areas of performance

    As a group commander and a colonel in the Air Force, I often have the opportunity to mentor people. Throughout the many mentoring, counseling, feedback and other sessions where I've assessed performance and provided direction for future improvement, five enduring areas of performance have emerged as