It’s time for you to get ready for the 2010 Census.

What does it take to be a military spouse? The same things it does to be any kind of spouse — only more so.

I followed a Soldier down the sidewalk this week and was struck by the appearance of his uniform. To an old Soldier like me, it didn’t look very sharp.

As our nation commits to preserving freedom through the uncertainty of deployments and conflicts across the world, Americans give us a special gift — embracing Soldiers and their families with sincere support.

I hate clutter. My home is far from being perfectly organized, but if there’s one thing I’ve gotten better at doing, it’s making it clutter free ... Well, for the most part.

WASHINGTON – Since the birth of America, African-Americans have been fighting and dying alongside their countrymen as the United States has struggled for freedom and peace at home and abroad.

The Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, begin today. I hope we all take some time to celebrate what the Olympics represent.

ARGHANDAB RIVER VALLEY, Afghanistan – Sitting on the bank of the Arghandab River, the Baba Sahib Shrine provides an unimpeded view of the verdant Arghandab Valley, which contrasts with the rest of the dusty province.

It is a lot easier to define leadership than it is to put your finger on the attributes of a good leader. There are as many ways to look at the question as there are ways to lead effectively.

Being associated with the Army doesn’t make you a victim. Whenever we get into a “glass half empty” sort of mood, we should remember that.

We are a society that reveres rebellious, dissenting spirits. The media mirrors our admiration for mavericks — especially maverick Soldiers.

It’s that time of year again — tax season.

On Oct. 8, 2007, the Army unveiled the Army Family Covenant, institutionalizing the Army’s commitment to providing Soldiers and families — active, Guard, and Reserve — a quality of life commensurate with their quality of service.

There have been a lot of changes around the Army over the last couple of decades. But perhaps none of them is as remarkable as the transformation of the service into one of the most family-friendly employers around.

After more than two years of work by Airmen, Soldiers and civilians at McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis, we are just weeks from the beginning of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. We should all take great pride in the arrival of this historic day.

We Americans easily lose touch with what our holidays are supposed to mean.

We live in a society that makes a mania about planning and goal-setting. Maybe that’s why so many people are unhappy.

Want to stay healthy this year? Then wash your hands.

Editor’s note: Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, call sign “Defender Six,” is the commanding general of the Installation Management Command. Through U.S. Army Garrisons, Lynch and IMCOM operate Fort Lewis and other Army installations on behalf of our mission and training commands. We will be running more articles from Lynch about installation services in the future. In addition, look to the Northwest Guardian for more detailed coverage of how the budget will affect us locally.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — It was a pleasant evening at Jelawur Strong Point, the kind of evening that makes you forget that home is thousands of miles away and that you are in the Arghandab River Valley of Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan. The temperature had cooled nicely and we had just finished up another platoon barbecue consisting of some mystery Afghan meat (possibly beef, most likely goat).

Having the family together again and enjoying the return of a deployed father or mother can be a time of great joy, but it is also a major transition that can have its difficulties for all those involved—returning Soldier, spouse, children and other family members.

The circumstances of accidents caused by impaired driving might vary, but they share the characteristic that each injury and death caused by drunk or drugged driving is totally preventable.

The holiday season is always full of buzz. From family gatherings to football parties, there are plenty of times and places to celebrate. Many of these celebrations might include alcohol.

Because of the efforts of 17 units and five garrison directorates, 1.176 tons of aluminum cans were recycled this year during the Aluminum Can Challenge. The third annual 90-day challenge began Aug. 1 and ended Oct. 31 and despite the deployments, the participating units were able to collect more cans than last year. The 70,000 aluminum cans collected and recycled saved the equivalent of 4,000 gallons of gasoline or enough energy to power a television for 23 years.

DIYALA PROVINCE, Iraq — I am running a course known as the Logistics Training and Advisory Team. The purpose of this course is to train the Iraqi Army’s wheeled vehicle operators and mechanics on “by-the-book” maintenance procedures and troubleshooting.

The 62d Medical Brigade headquarters recently returned from Camp Atterbury, Ind., where it participated in a homeland defense exercise as part of Joint Task Force-Civil Support.

Hard drinking is an old Army tradition, but it is one we should be happy to lose.

The Army has a pretty clear image of what it is — but we don’t do so well at understanding who we are.

November 11 wasn’t always Veterans Day. Originally, the date commemorated the end of a horrible war. World War I — the “war to end all wars” — came to a close at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.