Every Airman Counts: Wingman culture key to resiliency

by Col. Michael Manion
403rd Maintenance Group

10/15/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- We've all encountered bad news or a series of bad news or bad days.  Each person reacts differently to news of setbacks such as injury, failure, tragedy, loss, and extreme stress.  How they respond is dependent on their ability for resiliency; the ability to bounce back.

Coach Vince Lombardi said, "It is not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up again ..."

Being resilient doesn't mean avoiding the issue; it means facing it; bouncing back from it, and recovering to previous levels of performance or even higher.  People can develop the ability to successfully overcome setbacks.  To assist Airmen, the Air Force had a mandatory stand-down day in 2012 to discuss resources available to support Airmen and the importance of strengthening mental, physical, social and spiritual skills to bolster resiliency.  A key point emphasized during that stand-down was that seeking help for yourself, or for fellow wingmen, is a sign of strength.

Building one's mental skill allows you to critically examine how your thoughts and attitude impact your behavior; it's even been said that an optimistic attitude can be learned.   The benefits of physical activity are improved mental awareness and the ability to more readily deal with stress.  A social skill refers to having peers you can engage with for support.  Building spiritual skill refers to cultivating purpose and meaning for however someone chooses to define that.  Strong spiritual foundations often help people deal with difficult situations.  A combination of all the above is often mentioned as the reason why many prisoner of war survivors made it back home.

Airmen with poor resiliency skills may not be equipped to notice or correct their situation, and that's where a good wingman needs to step in.  Being a good wingman transcends friendship, flights, and squadrons; it is something we do as professional Airmen and something we owe to those with whom we serve.  It is our responsibility -- if we see someone in need, we reach out to them.  It's the little gestures that can make a significant impact or can be the catalyst for resilience to blossom.  It often doesn't take much to make a difference.  The willingness to listen as someone talks through their feelings or fears; stopping by their workplace or meeting with them after work just to check up on them and to offer them the encouragement to keep taking the steps to rebound their situation can make a huge difference.  A positive attitude, a genuine sense of concern, and some of your time might be all it takes to get an Airman back on the vector to recovery.  If you determine you don't have the skills necessary to help the Airman get back on track, then take that next step, and get them in touch with the right personnel and/or resources.  Every Airman counts.  

By continuously cultivating mental, physical, social and spiritual skills, an Airman may get knocked down, but should be able to get up again on their own. We as wingmen need to be vigilant for those that are struggling to get up again, and do what it takes to help them recover to previous performance levels or even higher. We owe this effort to our fellow Airmen; it is the bond that makes us the world's greatest Air Force!