Day #2 of AFCGOC PD Conference

Well, I ain't necessarily dumb, but today was definitely the AF nerd's day! We heard from the Vice-Commander of the AF's new Cyberspace Operations command. We also heard from the Commander of the National Reconnaissance Office (Did you know that everything in space that is 10+ cm is counted?!). Both were pretty much over my head! Good stuff, however, what I understood. You could hear the pocket protectors and slide rulers coming out!!!! We also heard from 5 Chief Master Sgts. The Chiefs are always good to hear from because they shoot straight. Best quote? "If you're going to be an officer, act like an officer!" Did you know the AF has a Special Operations command? I did, but not a lot of people do! The Vice-Commander spoke like a true SpecOps member--short and to the point. One of his tips for leadership is, "Stay in shape; pick up trash." Those two statement are not necessarily connected, just by the way. Perhaps the best speaker today, surprisingly, was the four star Marine General--James Cartwright. Very intelligent, articulate, and deep. He asked these questions--"How do you change the [military] culture to match the world? How do you remain relevant?" I couldn't help but wonder how the Church needs to answer those questions. We don't change church culture to match the world, by any means, but we might have to change it to remain relevant. As long as the Gospel remains the same, the rest is window dressing, and yet so many churches continue to stay the same. Lastly, we heard from Col (sel) Al King, the first mayor of Baghdad. He was very interesting. He actually has a website--www.2xarmed.com. Haven't checked it out yet, so can't tell you what's on there. He has much to say about how the Administration screwed up Iraq, but also has much to say about how we might still fix it. A few of his points--
* The problem came about when we labeled ourselves "occupiers," no longer "guests."
* "Iraq has never won a war, and never lost a negotiation."
* Al Qaeda is to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.
* Cultural tips:
a. Don't shake hands unless it is offered to you first.
b. The senior person sits at the head of the table.
c. At the end of the tea at the end of the meal, LEAVE!
d. Don't use the left hand for anything.
Good stuff. I bought his book. I hope it will be helpful for when I go over there (if I do).

Lastly, our two star sponsor, Maj Gen Wurster, called a 1Lt up, and he and another two-star pinned on her new Captain's bars in front of everyone at the end of the day. It was pretty neat. Not many Lt's can say that has happened to them. Neat conference, thus far. I had supper with AJ Dobson and Andrew Ralon tonight, then came back and ran for 25 minutes. Tomorrow is tour day, and my bus will go to the White House, the Air and Space Museum, and Arlington. We'll be back tomorrow night in time to get dressed for our formal Dining-In.

Peace!