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  • Political season do's and don't's for Reservists

    With the presidential election upon us, everyone is encouraged to vote – including those in the military. “The Department of Defense has a longstanding policy of encouraging DoD personnel to carry out the obligations of citizenship,” according to DoD officials. However, civil servants and military

  • Yellow Ribbon attendee cites value of conference

    I recently attended a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program conference held in Orlando, Fla., with my wife, DeAnne. This conference helped Airman who are deploying -- and their families – on how to manage life while the deployed member is gone.Since I work in Air Force public affairs, I’d already

  • The Wounds Within: a Veteran, a PTSD Therapist, and a Nation Unprepared

    I wish the story didn’t sound so familiar. On June 22, 2004, Marine Lance Cpl. Jeff Lucey used a hose to hang himself in the basement of his house in Belchertown, Mass. Surrounding him lay a semi-circle of photographs. In the center was Jeff Lucey’s platoon group photo from his deployment to

  • Who goes to War?

    In April, I deployed to central Kabul, Afghanistan. The conditions at International Security Assistance Force headquarters varied between friendly and toxic.  Two 107 millimeter rockets exploded near us in our first few hours on the ground.  Many of us got sick because of bad bottled water - the

  • Do it right every time

    I would like to thank all the members of the Patriot Wing for the warmest welcome.The change of command was incredible and my family and friends were overwhelmed. It was awesome to look out over the formation of incredible Airmen and see that C-5 with the beautiful blue sky in the background. As I

  • Wing commander bids farewel l to Patriot Wing

    Men and women of the Patriot Wing, the time has come for Katie and I to move on to the next adventure in our lives.The last three years at Westover have been the highlight of my 31-year career. I have never worked with such a professional, hard-working, group of people. You have held together as a

  • Patriot Wing faces a year of change in 2014

    2014 has been a year of change for the Patriot Wing. We have changed command chiefs, we are changing vice commanders, and more than likely we will be changing commanders later this year.We recently received confirmation that NMCB-27 (the Navy Seabees) will leave Westover for Mississippi in October;

  • lt’s been the opportunity of a lifetime

    It's difficult to summarize in a single sentence all the opportunities that the Air Force and Air Force Reserve have given me over my 30-year career. I've watched this wing grow to become the best in AFRC, bar none. The accolades that this group has won are truly amazing. They are a testament to the

  • Wing springs into new challenges

    It was a Tuesday morning, and I was at work. As a civilian here, I'm chief of operations for the 439th Communications Squadron. An email came across my screen from Brig. Gen. Steven Vautrain, which read, "...can you come to my office at 1500 today?"I quickly replied, "Yes, General," then my mind

  • Spring fever doesn’t mean losing your self-discipline

    Spring fever must be in the air. The snow is melting, the birds are returning, the squirrels are out, and self-discipline seems to be slipping. The Patriot Wing is the best wing in the Air Force, but it seems that every spring we must be reminded that we are responsible for our own actions.