Bouncing back: Who is your wingman

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Wesley Wright
  • 442nd Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Wingman Day 2011 is April 1, and the focus is building resilient Airmen through the wingman concept.

The Pentagon sums up wingman concept as thus: "A culture of Airmen taking care of Airmen 24/7, 365 days a year."

Building resilient Airmen, who can bounce back after setbacks, is an important part of life in the 442nd Fighter Wing. The genesis of wingman day was originally general safety days, which promoted physical safety and safe practices, said Lt. Col. Patrick Murphy, 442nd FW chief of safety.

Colonel Murphy said he has seen the integration of mental health and suicide prevention and operational risk management into the safety message.

Colonel Murphy said the information will be combined this year in order to deliver a more comprehensive message on the current issues including physical, mental and social stressors affecting our Airmen today.

Airmen do not have to do it alone, Colonel Murphy said,

"We never fly alone; that's a wingman's purpose. We look out for each other," he said.
Communication between unit members and situational awareness is central to spotting and preventing dangerous signs in fellow Airmen, he said.

"When you work with someone, you can tell when they are having a bad day," he said.

Colonel Murphy said in addition to self and peer monitoring, common-sense tools are useful to help combat stressors. He also said these tools are not just for Airmen, but for everyone, whether military or civilian. Simple steps, such as getting enough sleep, eating right, taking time for physical fitness and avoiding dangerous situations, go a long way toward preventing issues before they happen.

Colonel Murphy said while the method of delivery for the Reserve is different from active duty as the 442nd FW will take time throughout the unit training assembly, April 2-3, the message is the same; Airmen looking out for one another, getting back up when knocked down and being resilient.

Master Sgt. Justin Johnston, 442nd FW ground safety manager, recognized the importance of relationships.

"Having the right people around you and having a support team around you both in family and work helps keep you motivated," he said. "It's Airmen taking care of Airmen."
Sergeant Johnston described the 442nd FW as a family and said when he is out and about handing out safety packets, the message wingman safety day delivers on safety, mental health and risk management must be relevant to Airmen to have maximum impact. He cited stressors such as: divorce, fitness, loss of family or unit members, single parenting, or civilian job as issues Airmen today could relate to.

"Resiliency is the key word," Sergeant Johnston said, "You have to relieve stress."

Col. Eric Overturf, 442nd FW commander, said he knows something about stress. He oversees approximately 2,100 people, including three geographically separated units.
To combat stress, the colonel said he takes time to work out, spends time with his family, and gets plenty of sleep.

The colonel said Citizen Airmen in today's operational reserve are busier than ever.

"Balancing work, family and civilian job commitments can be difficult," Colonel Overturf said.

The colonel also said the first step in stress-management is to acknowledge stress, ask for help and use the wingman concept.

Colonel Overturf said he hopes as a result of Wingman Day 2011, all 442nd personnel are aware of the resources available to them including counseling, financial advice, unit social action, friends and coworkers.