Commentary

U.S. Air Forces in Europe recently gained more than 70 master resilience trainers; I count myself lucky to be one of them. However, some people would say the Air Force is lucky to count me as one of its MRTs.

Throughout my Air Force career, I’ve cooked for, performed at and spoken at Asian-Pacific heritage festivities from Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

About three years ago, I wrote a commentary about Black History Month, also referred to as African-American History Month. As I go back and look at it, I’ve realized it was horribly written, but I was so proud of it and myself.

Military life can be challenging. Frequent deployments and temporary duties, constantly moving to different commands all around the globe, and never staying in one location or with the same people for very long takes its toll on the service member and their family.

I used to wonder if people would look at me differently if they knew. Would they whisper about me? Would they tell others what happened? Does anyone actually have the guts to ask me what happened? Are they looking at me as the girl who’s related to a child killer?

Not unlike previous years, 2015 was a dynamic time for the Mighty 86th and Team Ramstein. We experienced operations, exercises, challenges and shifts — some planned, some not — while generating and employing air mobility, enabling theater and strategic airpower, and operating key Air Force power projection platforms. We supported allies and friends, built partnership capacity, enhanced readiness, and deterred threats as they emerged and developed. In the modern world, Team Ramstein must remain responsive and engaged to be effective, and 2015 saw us doing just that.

I read the book “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek a couple years ago. His thoughts on achievement vs. success particularly resonated with me.