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  • Blowing church doors off

    Alfred had trouble with termites at home. He heard that natural gas was dangerous, and figured it would be a good, low-cost way to fumigate his house. So he shut the doors and windows, turned on the gas, and spent the night in a nearby camper trailer with his wife. The next morning he stepped out of

  • Surviving the flood

    There's a story of a man who died tragically during a flood. As the flood waters rose around his house, some folks passed him on a raft and offered to take the man with them. Believing his house would survive the flood, the man refused their offer for help. A few hours passed and the waters rose

  • Creating a dynasty

    Congratulations Team Incirlik. I hope you feel the sense of pride experienced only by those who sacrificed by working long hours and as a result realized complete success. I am awed by your efforts and applaud the results you've achieved. So what's next? Most athletes will agree that winning a

  • Closing the deal

    It takes commitment to see any project through to completion. While those Florida Marlins fanatics who were hanging their sign on the Metro Rail overpass obviously lacked forethought, they were at least committed enough to see the project through to completion -- much to their chargin in this case.

  • A sense of urgency

    A sense of urgency. This phrase accurately describes everyone from quarterback Vince Young as he drove his Texas Longhorns to a come-from-behind victory in the 2006 Rose Bowl/BCS Championship game to Rocky Raccoon as he dodged bullets being fired from a balcony by Leon and his drunk friends. I'm

  • New CV shares views

    By Col. Ken Stefanek 39th Air Base Wing vice commander Members of Team Incirlik, I'm honored to join all of you at the "Tip of the Sword," thank you for making me feel welcome. Although I've only been on base a week, I've had the privilege of meeting many of you and I'm truly awed by your expertise,

  • A Balancing Act

    A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend the retirement ceremony of a well-known three-star general. I've been to quite a few military ceremonies and can accurately predict what the speakers will say at each type of ceremony. In all honesty, I've forgotten 99.9 percent of what I've heard at

  • Nobody is Immune - A True Story

    I first met "Sticks" early in my career; he was a fighter pilot's fighter pilot. Supremely talented, "Sticks" quickly upgraded to flight lead and instructor pilot and was selected to attend and eventually teach at the Air Force's prestigious Fighter Weapons School. A regular at the O' Club on Friday

  • Band of Brothers, Sisters

    There is a scene in the movie "Band of Brothers" where the company commander pulls one of his platoon lieutenant's aside and tells him that gambling and taking money from his platoon mates jeopardizes his position as the platoon leader in combat. For me, it is a memorable scene that struck a chord.

  • The 3 F's of Incirlik

    Many of you will recall from my "What I Believe" series of articles and my first briefing to the team as well as every newcomer, the priorities of Family, Fitness, Focus ... the "3 Fs of Incirlik." I'd like to take this topic to the next level and operationalize it so that the priorities hit home in