Commentary

Now that the warm days of summer are quickly becoming a distant memory, the coolness of October reminds us it is time to start planning for a safe winter. As crazy as the weather can be here, it’s never too soon to make sure you’re ready.

It’s 2 a.m., and you’ve been called in to work. As you arrive, you notice flashing lights and yellow tape blocking the entrance. Wiping the crust from the corner of your eyes, a young agent begins filling you in on the situation. Though he tells you what you are there for, nothing prepares you for what happens next.

What does the chief of staff of the Air Force and ham have in common? It all has to do with sense — common sense.

My father, Fernando C. Lugo, was drafted into the Army in November 1966. After completing high school, he received a letter that said, “Greetings, you been drafted into the Army,” which included a 12 cent New York City subway token to help him report to basic training.

On Wednesday, it was 4,384 days since the terror attacks of 9/11 in New York, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa. It has also been 365 days since the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. In both cases, our national response involved using military action.

I stared at the email in my inbox with a slight mix of curiosity and alarm. I read the message again, this time aloud. Yep, I had been tasked. The email was sent to inform me that I would be serving as my unit’s designated Combined Federal Campaign-Overseas representative for this year. I wondered how much extra time this was going to take from my work schedule and most importantly, what exactly does a CFC-O rep actually do?

There is a lot to be said about how blaming a victim of sexual assault is devastating to a victim. When a traumatic crime like sexual assault occurs, many questions are asked of the victim’s history and behaviors, which communicate loud and clear he or she did something terribly wrong to provoke the attack.