Straight Talk: Actions Published March 4, 2011 By Col. Stacy L. Yike 66th Air Base Group commander HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. - William James I hope you had an opportunity to participate in some of the events last week. They were truly inspiring. We kicked off the week with Heritage of Freedom and closed with the National Prayer Breakfast, the promotion of Hanscom's newest chief master sergeant and a dinner honoring those who serve in our Patriot Honor Guard. At every occasion I was reminded of the great things that happen when individuals believe their actions make a difference. Sometimes we each get a little caught up in "the show" of what people might think of us, how much credit we will get for our actions or who might notice. Sometimes we want people to tell us how to act so that we can be sure to get it right. I love the quote from William James mentioned above because it reminds me that everything we do has consequences. Every action we take does make a difference. We can choose for our impact to be positive or negative. If we stay focused on making a positive impact, then our actions will inevitably lead to great things. Many thanks to the readers below who took time to share information so we could take action: Question: This morning I saw a U.S. flag flying from the National Guard building that's being built near the intersection of Tinker Loop and Grenier Street. Is this appropriate? Response: Thanks for your sharp eyes. You were correct, but the U.S. flag displayed was no longer a fitting symbol due to its condition. As a direct result of your inquiry, the construction contractor removed and properly disposed of the flag. You get credit for your good deed of the day. Question: I just left the base's Shoppette and the person in line in front of me purchased cigarettes for a total of $3,396. Obviously, this was not for personal use. There used to be a three carton limit and, although I do realize that retirees may have a hard time coming from long distances, I do see a need for some type of limit on the purchase of cigarettes. This is not the first time I have witnessed what I believe is an excess purchase of tobacco at the Shoppette. Response: I concur that this action displays a potential abuse of privileges and may represent something outside of personal use. Before actual limitations are put in place as to how much of any one item can be purchased, we try to first identify and deal with the potential abuser, or abusers, rather than penalize the general population. I have banned people from utilizing any AAFES facility for abusing these privileges and will continue to do so as needed. We will certainly follow up on this individual case. Thanks for letting us know.