Uncommon Sense Published Aug. 28, 2008 By Chaplain (Capt.) David A. Larsen 103rd Airlift Wing BRADLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, East Granby, Conn. -- Next to my faith community, I feel most at home in the Guard! It is because of our people and their values. We are very different from each other. And none of us is perfect. And we don't always get it right. But more than in civilian society, there seems to be a knowledge of what is right here- and a desire to do things right. This is uncommon sense. Of course, this is not true in every case. There will always be sad exceptions. But here on the base I witness integrity, selflessness, and excellence more often than not. It seems the composite average of these noble qualities is higher than average. And it is refreshing. Thank you. This, of course, does not mean that we all agree on everythingespecially when it comes to social, national and international issues. As I get older, I am quieter when it comes to these issues. I don't claim to know much. I think it is hard to really know much. This is partly because the current news media emphasizes entertainment and often mistakes emotion for information. And I am not the only one who notices that 'shout TV' produces a lot more heat than light. This view of mine may be wisdom, or perhaps just a greater freedom to admit my own ignorance. I am out of step with a culture that thinks everyone is entitled to an opinion. My perspective comes with experience: I have both had and heard too many uninformed- (dare I say stupid?) opinions. But here in this column, I'm just talking about what I have seen and heard here at the 103rd. I am proud of who we are. And I am proud of what we do. And I count myself honored to serve the people of this base in a dedicated chaplain unit.