Drawing from over 24 years of experience in units around the world, the author provides information on and examples of Air Force writing requirements that can't be found anywhere else. This book is packed with clear guidance on the best strategy for advancement through the ranks including how to write exceptional Enlisted Performance Reports and Awards that will increase your chances for recognition and promotion. Included are sections on common NCO writing tasks such as Letters of Counseling, Letters of Appreciation, Trip Reports, and much, much more!
Brown Bag Lessons, The Magic of Bullet Writing centers on effective bullet writing and guarantees immediate improvement. Skillful writing doesn't have to be difficult. No other book approaches writing the way this book does, and no other book teaches these techniques. After reading this book, you will fully understand how to write strong bullets and "why" every word matters. In 2003 the author created a seminar to teach a fair and consistent process to evaluate recognition packages. This seminar transformed an entire organization within six months. Since then, the techniques have decisively transformed the writing, recognition, and promotions of every organization applying them. The practices in this book continue to positively impact the Air Force and sister services through professional military education. In addition, the concepts have helped transitioning service members and college students better communicate acquired capabilities and competencies on their résumés. Read on to discover the "magic" and open your eyes to a brand new way to look at writing. The US Air Force promotion system emphasizes the importance of documenting your very best accomplishments. Under this system, promotion comes from the most recent performance reports, so Airmen must communicate the best accomplishments and not just words that fill the white space. This Magic of Bullet Writing will ensure you know how to articulate not just what you are doing but also convey your strongest competencies and capabilities so the promotion board can fully assess your readiness for promotion. Training materials that correspond to the lessons in this book are available for free download at http: //www.brownbaglessons.com. Are you ready for the magic?
The Style Guide, part one of this publication, provides guidance to Air University's community of writers. It offers a coherent, consistent stylistic base for writing and editing. The Author Guide part two of this publication, offers simple, concise instructions to writers who wish to submit a manuscript to AUPress for consideration.
The Tongue and Quill has been a valued Air Force resource for decades and many Airmen from our Total Force of uniformed and civilian members have contributed their talents to various editions over the years. This revision is built upon the foundation of governing directives and user's inputs from the unit level all the way up to Headquarters Air Force. A small team of Total Force Airmen from the Air University, the United States Air Force Academy, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command (AETC), the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), Air National Guard (ANG), and Headquarters Air Force compiled inputs from the field and rebuilt The Tongue and Quill to meet the needs of today's Airmen. The team put many hours into this effort over a span of almost two years to improve the content, relevance, and organization of material throughout this handbook. As the final files go to press it is the desire of The Tongue and Quill team to say thank you to every Airman who assisted in making this edition better; you have our sincere appreciation!
From its beginnings in 1907 as the Aeronautical Division of U.S. Armys Signal Corps, which consisted of one officer and two enlisted men, the United States Air Force has grown to become the foremost aerial armed force in the world. Although they had to fly French and British planes as the fledgling army aeronautical bureaucracy failed to procure any combat-worthy American aircraft, which arguably did not exist, American aviators performed valiantly in World War I with intrepid pilots of the such as Eddie Rickenbacker and Frank Luke leading the way. Between the wars, all of aviation, commercial and military around the world grew by leaps and bounds as the numbers of aircraft in service and their capabilities tremendously increased. Although the Army Air Corps, as it was known at the time, was no better prepared for World War II than the rest of the army, it had developed a highly professional corps of experienced officers who would be able to take advantage of the latest American aircraft technology such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and the P-51 Mustang. With the end of the war and the creation of an independent armed force in 1947, the United States Air Force leapt into the jet age with such icons as the F-86 Sabre and the remarkable B-52 Stratofortress, which "soldiers" on today more than fifty years after going into service in 1955 and with the youngest of the 744 plane production run being forty years old, having been built in 1962.Air Force covers the entire history of the U.S. Air Force and its development from its beginnings early in the last century to becoming the worlds largest, most powerful, and most versatile air-combat force. Special attention is paid to the air forces recent, post-Vietnam history, and an entire chapter is devoted to Americas air force of the future.
The privilege of commanding an Air Force squadron, despite its heavy responsibilities and unrelenting challenges, represents for many Air Force officers the high point of their careers. It is service as a squadron commander that accords true command authority for the first time. The authority, used consistently and wisely, provides a foundation for command. As with the officer's commission itself, command authority is granted to those who have earned it, both by performance and a revealed capacity for the demands of total responsibility. But once granted, it much be revalidated every day. So as one assumes squadron command, bringing years of experience and proven record to join with this new authority, one might still need a little practical help to success with the tasks of command. This book offers such help. “Commanding an Air Force Squadron” brings unique and welcome material to a subject other books have addressed. It is rich in practical, useful, down-to-earth advice from officers who have recently experienced squadron command. The author does not quote regulations, parrot doctrine, or paraphrase the abstractions that lace the pages of so many books about leadership. Nor does he puff throughout the manuscript about how he did it. Rather, he presents a digest of practical wisdom based on real-world experience drawn from the reflection of many former commanders from any different types of units. He addresses all Air Force squadron commanders, rated and nonrated, in all sorts of missions worldwide. Please also see a follow up to this book entitled “Commanding an Air Force Squadron in the Twenty-First Century (2003)” by Jeffry F. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF.
