• The Hidden Pain Among Us

    In this day and age, young Airmen are being asked to do much more than technical school trained them for. Years of combat operations, stress and pain have become the new normal. Airmen and combat operations, two words usually reserved for Air Force pilots, are now a daily occurrence for all career

  • Critical Days of Summer 2012: Safety is personal

    This year the Air Force has designated the time period of May 25 - Sept. 4 as the Air Force Safety Center's Critical Days of Summer safety campaign. The Air Force's vision this year is to ensure all of our Airmen have zero preventable fatal mishaps and an injury-free summer. The objective of the Air

  • COMMENTARY: Forrest Gump and the four pillars of resiliency

    The first time I read about resiliency and its four pillars - physical, social, spiritual and mental wellness - the movie Forrest Gump came to mind. Forrest Gump is a simple man who while sitting on a park bench tells strangers about his mother's catch phrases and his exploits throughout his years.

  • PORTRAITS OF CAPITAL AIRMEN: Remembering Arlington's Airmen

    My Name is Christopher Ruano. I am a staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force. I work for the Air Force District of Washington as a still photographer.I am the storyteller of the Air Force's mission at Arlington National Cemetery.Not many Americans have the chance to see, and not many

  • PORTRAITS OF CAPITAL AIRMEN: Wounded Warrior's Return

    My name is Airman 1st Class Cortnee Simmers, United States Air Force. I work at the 79th Medical Wing - one of only two medical wings in the USAF. I am a medic in the Aero-Medical Staging Facility on Joint Base Andrews, Md., in the Air Force District of Washington. The ASF is the first checkpoint on

  • Commentary: How's the air?

    Two birds are flying on a beautiful spring morning. As they fly, they pass another bird going in the opposite direction and the passing bird asks, "How's the air this morning?" As the two birds continued their flight, after a few minutes, one bird asks the other, "What the heck is air?"A lot of the

  • 'It's not like I'm Captain Planet or anything'

    I stopped to pick up a candy wrapper, one sunny afternoon in the park. No big deal - it's not like I'm Captain Planet or anything. Just picked up some trash.Then I saw a discarded straw.And a piece of paper.I picked them up and tossed them in a nearby bin.  My middle daughter, who is thoughtful and

  • Commentary: Resilience gets assist from daily activity and healthy eating

    Resilience gives you the power to bounce back from disappointments, tragedies and life changing events. Lucky for us, an old dog can indeed learn new tricks. Resilience can be learned and further developed as life throws you new curve balls. The following are two of the highlights from the Air Force

  • Personal resilience: Investing in individuals

    In January 2012, the Air Force provided Air Force District of Washington staff members with an opportunity to explore resilience during Wingman Day. Everyone knows that the business of the Air Force is to implement policy, execute programs, and support the war fighting mission. Yet, we spent an