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  • SPRING FEVER

    Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. In cold climates, the snow starts to melt; in the desert, the cactus are in full bloom; and in many parts of the country, you just don't know what to expect as the weather conditions can change very rapidly. Many of us dust off our bicycles and

  • OBLIVIOUS TO THE OBVIOUS

    During my time at 13th Air Force, we ran Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, resupplying the National Science Foundation's Antarctic mission. Our folks were exposed to temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The picture above was taken in the tunnels that run under the South Pole

  • WINDS OF CHANGE...

    In the 1990s, the Scorpions released a song called "Wind of Change" that captured some of the political changes in Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War. Just like changes creating the "new world order" in the 90s, our Air Force and Air Education and Training Command are undergoing changes

  • TALK THE TALK

    In the last issue of Torch, I wrote about "walking the walk" and leading by example when it comes to risk management in your daily lives. Now I want to discuss "talking the talk" as it pertains to crew resource management (CRM) and flying airplanes. Military flying is inherently dangerous, and

  • WALK THE WALK

    With the Critical Days of Summer upon us, it's not only time to talk the talk; it's time to walk the walk. Many people think risk management is something they just do at work -- when they are out on the flight line around multi-million dollar aircraft or turning dirt with a bulldozer. I would offer

  • SPRING FORWARD ... CAUTIOUSLY

    Springtime brings with it many changes; we change our clocks, the weather starts to change, and many of us increase our outdoor activities.But while springing forward with our clocks to daylight-saving time is sudden and instantaneous, we should perhaps proceed a little more cautiously when it comes

  • CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN

    Having just returned from a year-long Air Advisor mission in Afghanistan, one of the most mountainous regions of the world, it's fitting that my first issue of Torch as the Air Education and Training Command director of safety contains three stories that feature mountain adventures or mishaps.I am

  • YOU RAISE ME UP

    On a majestically blue, warm, sunny San Antonio day Dec. 20, which was perfectly suited for golf despite being just one day shy of the official start of the winter season, I stood in front of more than 100 people at my retirement ceremony and found the ending bitter-sweet. I was excited about the

  • SUMMER OF '10

    As far as memorable summers go, summer of '69, with an associated safety message, is frequently explored in high school and college government classes. Most Torch readers are too young to actually remember the July 1969 car accident involving the late Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy. However, students

  • THE BLACK BEAN

    In the spring of 1843, following a botched invasion of Mexico by a band of Texans, Mexican dictator Santa Ana ordered that 10 percent of those captured be executed. To determine which of the 176 prisoners would die, a container was filled with 159 white beans and 17 black ones.The 17 unlucky men who