Grissom holds seventh annual Wingman Day Published Oct. 23, 2017 By Senior Airman Harrison Withrow 434 ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Revitalizing the squadron is a focal point for Grissom leadership and to help that cause Grissom held a special event to help Airmen become good Wingmen. Grissom held its seventh annual Wingman Day on October 15, encouraging Airmen to get to know one another in a relaxed environment in an effort to become better wingmen. “This was my third year coordinating Wingman Day,” said Erin Michael Jollif, 434th Air Refueling Wing director of mental health. “Every year we have a different theme, and this year that theme was acceptance.” Acceptance, she said, is key to stress reduction as people can often fixate on things they have little or no control over. After the main event had concluded, Airmen met up with their squadrons and were asked to discuss their thoughts on acceptance. “In the past, Air Force Reserve Command laid out very strict guidelines for how to conduct Wingman Day and what we needed to include,” said Jollif. “This year they gave us an outline but allowed us a lot of freedom to decide what was best for our community.” Col. Paul Gates, 434 ARW vice commander, gave an entirely unscripted speech about wingmanship and what it means to heed the call in times of need. “Being a good wingman isn’t always about running into enemy fire or diving on a hand grenade,” he said. “Usually it’s just having the courage to speak up when you see that your buddy needs your help.” Gates particularly emphasized the rate of suicide within the Air Force Reserve. As of 2016, that rate was the same as the civilian rate. “Many will look at that statistic and say that nothing is wrong, because our numbers fall in line with the regular populace,” he said. “I see it as an issue, because our numbers should be lower than the average. “Our comradery gives us an extra lifeline that most people don’t have, but we’re just not using it,” he added. Gates placed heavy emphasis on reaching out to fellow Airmen and connecting with one another, and Jollif shared that same sentiment. “In this era of digital communication, sometimes we forget to just talk to each other and be human,” said Jollif. “If your only communication with someone is via text message or email, you can’t really tell if that person needs emotional support.” Jollif expressed a desire for Airmen to make an effort to meet face to face with their peers whenever possible, and to check up on each other once in awhile. “Whenever you ask somebody how they’re doing, 99 times out of 100 they’re going to say they’re doing fine,” she said. “That one time they don’t though, make sure they know they have someone to talk to. “You could potentially be saving somebody’s life,” she added. It may be difficult to measure the effectiveness of Wingman Day, but that shouldn’t be seen as a deterrent to the program, said Gates. “Honestly, if even one person gets the support they need to keep moving forward because of this then it was completely worth it,” he said. “It’s almost unquantifiable but if it’s helping anybody then it’s helping us all.” The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Men and women from the Hoosier Wing routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission.Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
