10 Sep 2019

Commentary: Go Get My Axe

Somewhere in a small city where there are far more trees than there are people, there is a man who woke up with his back against the wall. He woke up to the sobering reality that he had a number of goals to accomplish and a limited amount of time to do so. 

4 Mar 2019

“Opportunity” doesn’t call ahead, make sure you have a plan

When opportunity knocks, it usually doesn’t call ahead of time to schedule an appointment. At least it never did for me.For me, the opportunities came suddenly and out of nowhere. Whether it was making the transition from active duty to the Air Force Reserve, landing a position at Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters, or my current assignment as

15 Oct 2018

Passing on a Few of Life’s Important Lessons

Commentary by Chief Master Sgt. Mark E. Barber . It is no secret that I like quotes. In the past, I have used them at our wing’s Newcomer Orientation, with recruits from the Developmental and Training Flights, and even at our Commander’s Call.

23 May 2018

Celebrating 30 years as a Reservist, Air Force Reserve’s 70th Anniversary

The Air Force Reserve’s 70th anniversary coincided nicely with my own 30-year mark as a part-time GI

4 May 2018

Communication -- An Essential Element of Success

Good communication -- sounds simple, but it is actually a complex endeavor. Broken down into its most basic form, the communication process involves a sender, the message, the medium by which the message is transmitted, and a receiver. The medium could be written, spoken, emailed/messaged, body language, facial expression, tone of voice, or just about any combination of these. The communication process should also include a feedback loop by which the receiver acknowledges receipt and understanding of the message. Sounds simple enough, right? The problem lies in both the words/expressions used and the assumptions we make as senders and receivers of information. Additionally, we are inundated with information from various sources as we go about our daily routines. So, what does communication have to do with organizational success?

6 Mar 2018

Marvel’s Black Panther sets the tone for leaders everywhere

My family and I had movie night a couple of weeks ago and as I was watching, I was immediately struck by the leadership modeling prevalent in the movie.For years, Air Force Professional Military Education has had leaders watch the movie “Twelve O’Clock High” as a portrayal of leadership examples, as part of the curriculum.   “Twelve O’Clock High,”

23 Aug 2017

Patriot Warrior: Reserve Citizen Airmen lead the way

For nearly 70 years, the Air Force Reserve has served as a cornerstone to the defense of our nation by providing combat-ready forces to meet the needs of commanders all over the world.

1 Jun 2017

Teamwork more important than ever during uncertain times

The week before Memorial Day I flew as part of a large formation exercise of 21 mighty C-17 Globemaster IIIs alongside our active-duty and Army partners. I was reminded in a poignant way – times are uncertain and we could get “the call” at any moment. Multiple hotspots exist in just about every corner of the globe, and over the past few years we’ve been constantly called on to perform more with less. Joint teamwork and exercises like this are more relevant and more important than ever to help keep us all at the top of our game.