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  • Hurlburt Field: Installation excellence every day

    This week, Team Hurlburt had the opportunity to host Brig. Gen. Anita Gallentine and the Air Force Installation Excellence Selection Board as they evaluated Hurlburt Field as one of two finalists in the commander in chief's Installation Excellence Award competition. The IEA was established in 1984 to recognize the outstanding efforts of the people
  • 1st Lt. Lauren Johnson is surrounded by a group of African children recently at a school outside the airport in Bamako, Mali. Lt. Johnson was in Africa supporting FLINTLOCK, a training exercise featuring the United States and 15 African and Partner Nations designed to increase security and build capacity in the Trans-Saharan region. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Jon Saas)

    Lessons from Africa

    When I was first told I was going to Mali, Africa as part of Exercise FLINTLOCK-09, I was given four key pieces of advice: bring lots of bug spray, Lysol, hand sanitizer and extra toilet paper. Never having deployed before, I was eager for any advice I could get. So I rounded up my supplies and hopped on a C-130 for the 5,300 nautical mile flight

  • 1 SOCS team practices how they fight

    Airman Smith arrived to the quarterly tactical communications exercise concept of operations briefing expecting the week-long exercise to pan out like any other: 12-hour shifts of specialized training to prepare him for the complexities of creating a command and control node in an austere environment. This time around, however, the exercise

  • Moving to Cannon Assistance

    As the time draws nearer for the AC-130H move to Cannon Air Force Base, many of you have already received orders, and many more will be receiving them soon. I recognize that for many of you this move presents challenging issues. To address some of your concerns and questions, we've held two town hall meetings this year. During both meetings,

  • Air Commando: Are you one?

     Who are the Air Commandos? Are Air Commandos only those who engage the enemy through flight or on patrol? Do Air Commandos only come from those squadrons with a long heritage of combat? I'd like to offer a broader definition of Air Commandos. I submit today's Air Commandos aren't necessarily identified with a particular unit, but could be anyone

  • Tears for a stranger: The most valuable lesson

    I've been in Iraq for a little more than a month now. During that short time, I've already learned several lessons. For example, I learned quickly it's a bad idea to walk around outside in shorts and sandals right after you've put lotion on your legs, especially after a dust storm. I've discovered that almost anything at the chow hall is edible so

  • Charisma . . . Often overlooked, never forgotten

     How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you. - Dan Reiland One of the 1st Special Operations Wing aimpoints is to lead and develop Airmen to shape our future Air Force, but exactly how is this done? How do we develop Airmen into tomorrow's leaders? We do
  • Maj. Lance Rosa-Miranda, 1st Special Operations Wing executive officer, chases a loose ball at the annual wheelchair basketball game Oct. 2 at the Fort Walton Beach Community Center. The competition, pittting Airmen from Hurlburt Field against the Mobile Patriots, a professional wheelchair basketball team, is held in recognition of National Disability Awareness Month. Despite spotting the Commandos 40 points, the Patriots won the game 58-46. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Emily Moore)

    Patriots wheel circles around Commandos

    Total humiliation. Total dominance. Those are not necessarily the words I like to think about when they refer to what happens to my team on a basketball court. However, when I am forced to look back on the Commandos' performance Oct. 2, I don't know what other words could convey the sheer mutilation of pride administered by the Mobile Patriots, a

  • Think before you ride

    On the morning of Aug. 17, I had planned on helping someone in need by supporting a motorcycle charity ride in Mobile, Ala. A group of us prepared to leave Fort Walton Beach around 8 p.m. to meet up with other riders from the local community and make the ride to Mobile. On the way to Mobile, I noticed the posted 70 mph speed limit sign on

  • Be bear aware!

    Recently, I've been increasingly concerned about bears on Hurlburt Field. Because the Eglin range is classified by the state of Florida as primary range for black bears, I'd expect a few sightings each year. However, in the last two weeks, I've received nearly daily reports of bears in our housing areas, on the airfield and on the golf course.
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