Resilient Airmen hit the slopes

by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bass
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

1/24/2014 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The 20th Fighter Wing Chapel took a group of junior enlisted Airmen on a resiliency ski trip to Sugar Mountain Ski Resort in Boone, N.C., Jan. 18-20.

Twenty-five Airmen went on the three-day trip and learned about resiliency while also enjoying the wonders of winter weather.

"The purpose of a trip like this is morale," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ellison, 20th Fighter Wing Chapel chaplain's assistant. "We want to make sure that Airmen on base are engaged, they can network and make sure that they have a healthy mindset."

"This trip was a great way for us to get out from behind our units and become a wingman for someone we don't know," said Senior Airman Georgina Walton, 20th Medical Operations Squadron aerospace medical technician.

The Airmen spent two days on the slopes, skiing or snowboarding as much as they could during the day. At night, around dinner they would gather and talk about resiliency.

The resiliency discussions, led by Chaplain (Capt.) Randy Croft, 20th Fighter Wing chaplain, and Ellison, focused on knowing how to recover and return to normality after life has knocked you down. Using real life examples, Croft and Ellison talked to the Airmen and introduced the foundations of resiliency.

"Resiliency to me is the importance of how to bounce back from traumatic experiences and to know how to help others bounce back," said Walton.

The first night's resiliency lesson focused on bouncing back after a traumatic experience. The second night's focus was on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his ability to combat violence and hatred with peace and love.

Ellison said that Airmen need trips like these to get familiar with the chapel as an option to help them deal with the issues in their lives.

"The Airmen need to know that the chapel has a lot of different resources for them," said Ellison. "Many people who aren't necessarily spiritually minded think that the chapel is not an option for them, but really we have things that will help people even if you're not affiliated with any kind of religious belief."

Everyone agreed that they would go on this trip again, despite the bumps and bruises that came from falling, every Airman who fell on the slopes bounced back up and hit the slopes again.