Deployments, separations to be more specific, were for me the worst thing about a military career. Like many, I cited them as the primary reasons for my choice to get out after 20 years in uniform.

How fast good things sometimes travel.

I recently attended the Air Force Ball with guest speaker Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew, Air Force District of Washington commander. The general’s speech focused not on looking backward at our history; rather, he spoke in terms of what legacy we will leave for future generations of Airmen to inherit. Specifically, how do we embrace our heritage, live up to our core values, and instill pride, passion and professionalism in the Airmen that will follow.

September 16 marks the 64th birthday of our great Air Force. Sixty-four years ago, then President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 which, among other things, created the United States Air Force under our first Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington, grandfather of our U.S. political adviser, Ambassador William Symington. We’ve come a long way in those 64 years ... further when you count the early dark years — yes, the years we spent as part of the Army.

Our Air Force was literally born “in the air.” President Truman was aboard the presidential VC-54C — the Air Force One of its day — when he signed the National Security Act of 1947. With Truman’s stroke of the pen 64 years ago, America’s Air Force was launched as an independent service.

WASHINGTON — With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 a few days away last week, I asked my 9-year-old daughter if she understood the significance of the day.

It’s hard to comprehend that the nation has been at war for 10 years. For most of us, the time has gone quickly, but scanning last weekend’s commemorations of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center made it clear that too many Americans relive the attacks daily — through the loss of loved ones. To them, 9/11 was yesterday, today and every day; the pain never ceased.

When I talk with garrison professionals who work in suicide prevention, they all have stories about the person who really made them realize the importance of what they do.

Nearly 150 individual military units each saved at least a million dollars in fiscal year 2010 by requisitioning property from DLA Disposition Services instead of purchasing it from an outside supplier.

I got a call from the school counselor yesterday about my son.

Friends of the Northwest Guardian will notice soon that the work of our photojournalist, Ingrid Barrentine, will be missing from our pages for a while. Ingrid and her husband, Joe, brought Rosanna Hart Barrentine into the world since we last published, and as she should, Ingrid will be focusing her attention on her.

To be as helpful as possible, provide accurate reports when notifying law enforcement. The following guidelines, suggestions, and the type of detail you will need to supply will help you understand what 911 operators, law enforcement officers, or security personnel responding to your call of suspicious activity need.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a fitness professional is, “If I am going to do my cardio and strength training on the same day, which comes first?”

When my husband, David, was deployed with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to Iraq, I’d never balanced my checkbook. I was what you might call a bystander to our financial lives after embarrassing David enough — the last straw was when I bounced our tithe check — to start handling our money exclusively. If adults had superlatives, I’d be voted, “Most Likely to Get My Electricity Turned Off.”

I suffered aloud once to my infantry battalion commander that we were losing too many experienced leaders to seasonal PCS rotations.

Whew! After (literally) years of planning, thousands of hours of hard work, and the combined efforts of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord team, Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 is over. The success of this year’s Rodeo is a testament to your efforts, enthusiasm and professionalism. Thanks to Rodeo, our fellow mobility Airmen are better trained and better prepared to work alongside our international friends and partners.

The decision to transition out of uniform is as important as the initial decision to put it on. Soldiers deserve as much support at this critical point in their service as they do with earlier parts of their career. That is why the Army provides the Army Career and Alumni Program and is working to make ACAP even more effective.

“If you want to be more effective, improve your fitness,” said Sir Richard Branson, who was knighted in 1999 and is currently worth more than $4 billion.

Starting in July, the Exceptional Family Member Program is standardizing and streamlining the process for delivering respite care to eligible Families in need of support.

The Defense Department launched a new partnership recently that’s intended to expand job opportunities for military spouses by connecting them with employers actively seeking to hire them.

McChord Field, we have reached the home stretch for the Rodeo competition! International competitors began arriving Monday, followed Saturday with more than 110 United States teams.

WASHINGTON — The other day, after a new coworker found out that I’m a former Army brat, she said that I must get along with many different kinds of people and adjust easily to new situations.

Rodeo is an invaluable competition that showcases the best of U.S. and international mobility forces and we’re glad to have you here. This year we are expecting more than 150 teams and 3,000 people from the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, as well as 35 allied nations, to participate.

As our seasoned military Families are keenly aware, the end of the school year typically marks the start of a high-volume moving season.

You had to be there Monday to see the affection the members of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community poured out for international movie and television star Gary Sinise. He had brought his Lt. Dan Band to Memorial Stadium for the installation’s Freedom Fest to celebrate the Fourth of July with yet another military community, and you knew there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

My wife tells me I get annoyed too easily. Insulted when she repeats it, I begin to vehemently disagree until I realize how much her observation truly annoys me, pretty much proving her right.

The day after school let out for the summer, I raced to find activities to fill those long, lazy days of summer for my 2-, 7- and 9-year old.

Editor’s note: Brig. Gen. Bender commands USAFEC, which reports to Air Mobility Command to execute expeditionary skills training and exercises command and control authority over 627th Air Base Group, the Air Force element of JBLM.

Airmen at AMC’s three joint bases and at the two AMC bases where missions are evolving as a result of BRAC decisions are immersed in joint training and operations every day, ensuring America’s military remains the most efficient and most feared capability in the world. But we cannot ever forget the Airman culture as we continue to integrate with our joint partners.

The past 10 years have brought a great deal of change to our Army. Not only do our Soldiers continue to fight in two wars, but the Army is going through the greatest organizational change since World War II.