Back To Back Anniverseries

As we wind down the month of April, I look forward to next week and the coming anniversaries of two very important events in my life.

The first comes on 28 April marking 11 years of service to this great country of ours.  While that's certainly a huge chunk of time, it still feels like yesterday that I was stepping off the plane in San Antonio, TX about to embark on something that would radically change my life forever.  Through good times and bad.  Through 4 assignments and various trips around the country.  I'm proud to have worn the uniform of the United States Air Force for these last 11 years and look forward to the experiences that the next 9 years will bring.

Airman Basic Warshaw trying to be serious around his Uncle Wayne after just graduating from Air Force Basic Training. June 1999.

The day after though, 29 April, is the most important anniversary in my life.  This is the day 4 years ago that I married my soul mate.  This marriage was the culmination of 8 years of friendship (with two years of dating towards the end).  They often say that when looking for a companion, we miss that which is right under our nose.  That would definitely describe how things were with Kristin and I before we decided to start dating.  Finally towards the end of my tour in Korea in early 2004 I finally pulled my head out of my backside (Kristin always laughs when I put it this way) and ask her if we could start dating.

Never before had I met anyone who completed me so perfectly.  Kristin is one of a few people (I know my Momma is reading this...lol) with who I can completely and totally be myself, no matter what.  There are so many things we have in common, yet many things we do not at all and that's what makes our relationship so good.  I certainly didn't want a carbon copy of myself.  Regardless of what we do it's always a good time.  Whether wandering around the Irish countryside in search of castles and other ruins to check out or simply sitting on the couch watching a movie together I just love being with her.

Being out here and away from her makes me feel like I left half of myself back in the states.  Spending our anniversary apart this year is definitely a bummer,  but I keep going because I know I have her love and she has mine.  It's definitely for her and Katrina that I do this.

I love you my sweetheart.  Very simply and very truly.  Now until the end of time.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Current song playing: "Dance on a Volcano" by Genesis

Responsible Use of Time vs. Responsible Use of Energy

I read an article in the Air Force Times this evening about initiatives the Air Force is rolling out in an attempt to conserve energy. Many of the plans make a lot of sense and I am fully behind them. Ideas such as finding ways to conserve jet fuel while still ensuring pilots get all their required training and using solar panels to help power airfield lighting, hangars, etc. are both excellent ideas. They would not only benefit the environment around us, but in the long term would net financial savings as well. In this day and age where tax dollars are spent by the truckloads, anything we can do to give the tax payer the best bang for their buck is fine by me.

What I am not behind is the plan to create a CBT (computer based training) to teach Airmen how they can be better at conserving energy. In this day and age of ever increasing deployment lengths (6 months - 1 year are becoming the norm) and increased taskings, this is yet one more thing to throw upon our Airmen who already have a lot on their plate. It also seem to be contrary to the Air Force's AFSO21 (Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century) credo of doing less with less.

Isn't there a way to to incorporate energy saving tips into everyday training? Or how about making this a point of discussion during existing squadron/flight/workcenter meetings or the mandatory feedback sessions that all supervisors are required to conduct with their subordinates. I would bet money that the majority of Airmen are more apt to understand and put those things into practice from face to face discussions then from clicking through yet another boring CBT. With all the CBTs that the Air Force now requires us to take, many personnel (I'm one of them) simply just click through without really reaping any benefit from them. In many cases (while extreme, they are not uncommon) Airmen are spending more time on CBTs and additional duties than concentrating on their primary specialty and that is absolutely unacceptable. Bottom line: Teach our Airmen how to conserve energy, but do so in a way that doesn't bestow any more of a burden on them than they are already carrying.

Another concern I have with the proposed CBT is that it is yet another movement away from face to face interaction between supervisors and subordinates. There is a disturbing trend in the Air Force to fix every problem by sitting an Airman in front of a computer. For those that weren't aware, promotion selection announcements are now made through online notification. Granted, unit leadership is stil encouraged to make face to face congrats, but the days of your unit commander/First Sergeant surprising you with a set of stripes seems to be headed for the history books. More and more we are creating supervisors who have absolutely zero idea how to interact with their Airmen because most everything is being accomplished through computers. Phone calls and face to face conversations are becoming a thing of the past because it is so much more "convenient" to simply send an e-mail.

If the Air Force was looking out for the best interest of it's personnel, then I, as a supervisor would receive training on this from my boss and in turn pass the knowledge onto my subordinates. After all, it is MY responsibility to ensure the readiness of my subordinates. There's no better way to gauge the effectiveness of the training then through personal interaction. A certificate received for completing a CBT tells me nothing more than you completed the CBT. It tells me absolutely zero of what you actually learned and retained.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.