Bird's Eye View: Sports Day kicks off today

  • Published
  • By Col. Bryan J. Gallagher
  • 95th Air Base Wing commander
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As Airmen, we need to be "fit to fight." Today, the Rosburg Fitness Center is kicking off this year's Sports Day. The day begins at 6:45 a.m. with breakfast in the Rosburg parking lot followed by the opening ceremony. 

The games are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. All sorts of events will take place throughout the day including golf, bowling, a 5K run, a 10K road race, racquetball, tennis, swimming, paintball and horseshoes, just to name a few. 

The day will culminate with an awards ceremony and a barbecue at Arnold Park at 4:30 p.m. 

If you are scheduled to compete in any of the events, good luck. If not, come out to the events and support your fellow Team Edwards athletes. 

Oasis hosts Safety Fair 

It's almost that time of year again! Most of you know the "101 Critical Days of Summer" is the time of year from the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend to the end of the Labor Day weekend. 

Air Force safety statistics have shown that this period has traditionally been a period of increased mishaps, especially those occurring in the off-duty arena. 

In order to combat these statistics, our "101 Critical Days of Summer" will kick-off with a Safety Fair on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oasis Community Center. 

There will be displays from the Fire Department, Outdoor Recreation, Public Health, Environmental Management, the Green Knights Motorcycle Club, Bio-environmental, Security Forces weapons display and working dogs to name a few. 

So come by and get some critical info aimed at keeping you and yours out of critical condition this summer. 

Take some time off 

We're more than two thirds of the way through the fiscal year. As we approach the summer, ask yourself two questions -- how much leave have you accrued on your Leave and Earnings Statement, and how much of it have you spent since October? 

If you're like me, you probably earn more leave than you can find time to use. In fact, there are some people on base who have nearly three months of leave built up. 

With the Air Force becoming leaner and more dependent on its existing workforce, it may seem like there isn't enough time to get off the base and take a vacation. However, you have to have something in reserve for the "surge" times; if you don't take the opportunity to rest and recycle, you may not have the stamina needed. 

It turns out, if you plan now and coordinate with your supervisors, there is plenty of time to take some days off. I'm planning on taking a little vacation sometime in the next several weeks. When I do come back, I'll be refreshed and ready to tackle the mission with renewed vigor.

Just remember, if you don't use your leave days, you could lose them. 

With that, schedule your time off, and have a great weekend!