Black History Month is upon us and what does that mean? More commercials on BET? Maybe to some. But to me, and perhaps every other person raised as an Army Brat, it means much more. As with every other cultural month/observance, it means a CELEBRATION; a celebration both of what makes each culture unique and of what underlyingly makes us all the same; human...American. One look at my profile picture could probably tell you that I am not myself,

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Many of us go through our daily motions and routines, focused on the tasks at hand--this action, that suspense, tomorrow's briefing, next month's status call.  Whatever role you play, civilian or military, in this family, this organized machine we call Army, it's easy to get focused on microcosms and forget to take periodic glances at the big picture.  Whom do we support and why?  What is the overall mission, the goal, our collective sense of purpose? One such opportunity for that glance,

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Growing up in an Army family, with an Army dad, fitness was always a big deal. In the DoD school system, we had PT tests, field days, school-wide Volksmarches (6, 10 and 20K walks usually held on the weekends in Germany, "Volks" meaning "people" so essentially "people's march"), Jump Rope for Heart, and other physically-based activities. In addition, at home, my parents stressed healthy-eating and made sure we had exercise incorporated in our lives, like

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The year is 2003, and I take a deep breath as I wait in line with my robed and capped counterparts for the sound of my name. "Crystal Rose Guerrero,” I heard the announcer say, so with a tug on my honor cord to straighten it, I stepped onto the stage, searching the crowd for a familiar face that I knew I wouldn't find as I walked across. I grabbed my Bachelor's Degree (from who-knows-who now) shook hands, and glanced at the crowd to see mom, grandma and little sis, I give

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