F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Senior Airman Cheryl Lunt, 90th Comptroller Squadron financial analyst technician, works in the wing’s budgeting office and had the opportunity to shadow Col. Stephen Kravitsky, 90th Missile Wing commander, for a day March 8, 2017.
This program allows junior Airmen to accompany the commander for a day to learn how senior leaders lead the wing, tackle issues and make critical decisions.
“This initiative is important to me because when I was an Airman, I did the same thing with my wing commander, and it was an eye opening experience,” said Kravitsky. “This was a chance for me to give a young Airman the opportunity to see what I do and how some of the decisions in the wing are made. Hopefully she’ll tell her fellow Airmen how the wing and the groups work. It was also insightful for me. I got to spend the day with an outstanding Airman and pick her brain.”
At the end of the day, Lunt, who hails from Paso Robles, California, shared about her experience.
What did you expect this experience would be like?
I really didn’t know what to expect. But it was easy, because Col. Kravitsky was easy to talk to, and he explained things if I didn’t understand it.
What was the best part of the day?
The meetings. I didn’t understand most of them, but you see the different issues that leadership has to strategically figure out on base. A lot of people don’t get to see what they do day-to-day. They know there’s a problem, but they don’t know how long it takes to think it out or to brainstorm how to solve it.
How did today change your perspective of daily life in the wing?
I really didn’t know how much effort our leaders put into every little thing. I mean, Col. Kravitsky had seven meetings back-to-back. It seems like every single minute of his day is scheduled. I don’t know how he does it. It’s exhausting…one thing after another after another. I have always seen my leadership leaving for these meetings, and I never knew what they were about. They’re actually addressing important topics that they’re trying to solve or plan out, so it was cool to actually be there and see it.
What is your biggest take-away from this experience?
I would tell others to be a little bit more patient with things. I know when people bring things up, they want an answer right away, but I would say be patient and know that our leadership is really looking out for us. They’re all getting together trying to figure stuff out, but it doesn’t happen overnight. So when there is an issue, we’ve just got to wait it out.
Would you recommend this opportunity to other Airmen?
Absolutely. It’s eye opening and a good experience. Not many people are going to be able to do this, so if you’re given the opportunity, go for it. Don’t deny it because you’re shy and you don’t know what it’s going to be like. I was anxious about coming, but it is a good experience to see what other people do on base, especially our leadership.
Could you handle being a wing commander one day?
Absolutely not. It’s too stressful and too much public speaking…I couldn’t do it.