Commentary: From spectator to player

As a journalist, it’s my job to tell the story; I’m one of those on the outside looking in. Every once in a while, however, I become part of the story, tangled in a series of events that redirect my focus to a greater cause.

During a recent emergency management exercise here, I found myself thrust from spectator to player as a scheduled Chief’s Call turned from ordinary to perilous in a matter of seconds.

As part of the exercise scenario, which to those of us in the auditorium was just another briefing, Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Trottier, 21st Space Wing command chief, began an Operational Readiness Inspection briefing with an analogy to marathons.
more…