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Show Hilltop COMMENTARY Uh, oh, that Marine Corps general is eating MY Oreos TIMES 2 March 21, 2013 T Hilitopm , BY DR. DAVID HANSEN Director, 309th Maintenance Support Group 1 :ly Since 1948 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Standard-Examiner publisher Mary Lou Gorny Hilltop Times Editor Mikayla Beyer Hilltop Times Writer Krista Starker Hilltop Times Correspondent Kim Cook Hilltop Times Correspondent Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit news items e-mail hilltoptimes@standard.net or call 801- 625-4273. For Classified Advertising, call 801-625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 801-625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corp., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. 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Call 801-625-4273 with story ideas or comments, or contact the editor, Mary Lou Gorny, at mgorny@standard.net . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. S ome years ago I came across a story told by Gretchen R. Rhoads. In the spring of 1985 she was traveling as a new second lieutenant with a two-hour airport layover. After buying a cup of coffee, a pack of Oreos, and a newspaper she sat at a table in a crowded seating area next to a "fellow in a military uniform of some sort," knowing there was safety in the fellowship of arms. As she arranged all on the table to her satisfaction, newspaper on the left, coffee on the right, and Oreos in the middle, she looked up. The gentleman across the table was a Marine Corps brigadier general. She gulped and squeaked out, "Good morning, sir," before sitting down. Quickly starting the newspaper's crossword puzzle, she heard a peculiar rustling sound — the crinkling of cellophane. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the general had reached to the table, opened the package of Oreos, and was eating one. She realized that "the honor of the Air Force was, in a small way, at stake here." Not wanting to appear a "complete weenie," she reached across the table, opened the opposite end of the Oreos, and ate one "very, very thoroughly," subtly showing the general "that these are MY Oreos, and he should go buy his own." The Marines are not known for their subtlety, and true to form the general reached Hansen calmly for another and ate it. Lt. Rhoads couldn't back down now, and took another cookie for herself. This back-and-forth cookie dual continued until the entire package was empty. Following an announcement on the PA system, the general got up, put his papers back in his briefcase, brushed a few crumbs off the table, picked up the empty Oreos wrapper and threw it away, then left. The lieutenant said, "I sat there marveling at his gall and feeling very foolish. A few minutes later, they announced my flight. I felt a great deal more foolish when I finished my coffee, threw the cup away and lifted my newspaper to reveal ... my Oreos." How often do we assume and then act, based on misinformation or a misperception of the situation? The actions of the senior leader can teach us much. Here was an obvious breach of his "space" and an opportunity to really lay into a subordinate. His teaching, however, was very subtle. And, I don't think Lt. Rhoads has forgotten the lesson she learned that day. As leaders in whatever aspect of life we find ourselves, the subtle and mature path of leadership shown by the Marine general — a calm approach with greater knowledge than those we lead and not devolving into the stern admonitions or corrections — is the one we may wish to take. Subtlety is often the way to go. As followers, we can often find ourselves defending the "obvious." We need to ensure we have the entire picture before we act in what we may later find to be an inappropriate or outright incorrect manner. Let us each learn from these two. And if I've ever been in the wrong unknowingly ... I have a pack of Oreos on my desk waiting for you. Just look under the newspaper. MMI What U.S. Air Force manned aircraft flew in the very first air strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom? A. F-15E B. F-16C C. F-117 D. B-2 HAWC Nest fitness Tip from the Health and lantana:a Canter Up to 12 weeks of FREE tobacco cessation medication is available to federal employees and up to 6 months is available for active duty, dependents and retirees when attending the tobacco cessation series. Call the Health and Wellness Center at 801-777-1215 for further information. THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2013 DUIs: 5 MASTER SGT. VAL GEMPIS/U.S. Air Force An F-16 Fighting Falcon (foreground) from the 8th Fighter Wing, at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and an F-117 Nighthawk from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., share the taxiway at Kunsan. A GLIMPSE BACK ANSWER OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM BEGAN On March 19, 2003, just after 7:30 pm MST (5:30 a.m. local time in Baghdad on March 20), two U.S. Air Force manned aircraft followed by 40 U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missiles struck targets in Iraq. This began the U.S.-led, multinational effort to liberate the people of Iraq. noubsup2 uoirtgri r1/8 ,z711-ri .D For the first time in air combat, precision-guided munitions were used exclusively to minimize collateral damage while targeting a large number of military sites. During Operation Desert Storm, 1991, less than 10 percent of the munitions used were precision-guided. Coalition air forces opened the air campaign with a total of about 2,000 sorties the first night of air operations — 1,000 of which were strike sorties. B-2s flew the longest missions, lasting approximately 34 hours. Hill's Last DUI: Vicure,4 5 Unit Involved: 777-7000 729a /1er emoted ..59eeete6reg Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated drivers are unavailable. Call 777-1111 to request a ride anytime. Hours of operation: Fridays-Saturdays 10 p.m.- 6 a.m. Sundays 9 p.m.-midnight. Phone numbers — The base agencies listed can be contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: Security Forces 24-hr. 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