Lessons on resiliency at Warren

  • Published
  • By Glenn Garcia
  • 90th Medical Operations Squadron
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  As Warren's Operation Resiliency presses into its sixth month, it is time for some reflection on the impact it has had on the installation. The campaign was initially derived in coordination with the Year of the Air Force Family, which will last until the end of July 2010. The goal of WOR has been twofold.

The first objective was to increase first-line supervisor engagement and mentoring skills. The program encourages supervisors to become more involved in the lives of the Airmen who are future Air Force leaders.

The second goal has been creating a culture of empowerment for all our active-duty members and their families. A good example of this is the wingman concept. The Air Force has encouraged and educated everyone on what to look for and how to intervene with someone who may be having problems. The component forgotten in the wingman concept; however, is personal responsibility. The WOR program teaches Airmen how to monitor themselves, recognize when they feel overwhelmed and to know when and where to get help.

Resiliency is an abstract term that can mean many things to different people. Chief Master Sgt. Marty Anderson, 90th Missile Wing command chief, challenged the WOR program to help Airmen deal with the unique challenges of the mission, the harshness of the climate and operations tempo that accompany that mission.

With the new deployment climate and the global economic challenges many military families are facing, there are two concepts that describe resiliency at this base. These are personal toughness and smart decision making.

The WOR campaign is going to focus its efforts on ensuring Airmen understand and work on establishing personal toughness. This means knowing and believing they have the personal character to handle the challenges and setbacks in all aspects of their life. In doing so, they develop the skills necessary to meet life's challenges with a strong sense of confidence and determination.

WOR also encourages Airmen to make smart decisions. When members make choices that get them into trouble, they are usually stupid decisions. The goal is to have people be smart about the decisions they make and think about the consequences of their actions and the impact those consequences may have on others.

Airmen should strive to have a sense of personal toughness and always make the smartest decision in every situation. If there are shortcomings in life, recognize them, then seek out the agency or program available to provide the skill set needed to fill the gap.

If everyone strives for personal toughness and smart decision making, the result will be a resilient military population able to meet the challenge of providing preeminent combat capability across the spectrum of conflict as well as leading healthy and productive lives.