'I am connected': McConnell Reservists participate in Wingman Day

Published March 8, 2015
By Capt. Zach Anderson
931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Members of the Air Force Reserve 931st Air Refueling Group participated in an annual Wingman Day event here, March 8, 2015. Wingman Day is a time for Airmen to receive training on dealing with stress, developing resiliency, and suicide prevention, as well as how to better take care of one another and be good "wingmen."

The Wingman Day theme was "I am connected," and the focus of the day was showing each Airman how they are connected to each other and the support network that is in place during difficult times.

"It's important to get that message across," said Jeremiah Raymo, 931st Air Refueling Group Director of Psychological Health. "We in the military are losing people every day. The Reserve is unique because we come in here each weekend and then go back to our separate communities. So having a day like this gives us an opportunity to really create a bond."

Throughout the day, unit members participated in small group discussions as well as participated in activities designed to illustrate how each Airman is connected. Airmen discussed the various resources that are in place for help, as well as how to watch for warning signs that a fellow Airman may be going through a difficult time or considering suicide.

"It's important to focus on the resources that are available and to know what resources can work for you," said guest speaker Bailey Blair, a behavioral health specialist at Wichita State University. "You need to constantly reevaluate where you are, where your team is, and it's important to be able to maintain your own mental health when dealing with external stressors. We need to be able to know when someone is struggling and where they can go for help, as well as when you are struggling where you can go for help."

Capt. Justin Taylor, maintenance operations officer, 931st Maintenance Operations Flight, served as one of the organizers for the event and said he believes the concepts taught during Wingman Day are critical for Reserve Airmen.

"Most of our people are traditional reservists who only see each other during the Unit Training Assembly or if we happen to be here for annual tour or training, and when we are here we typically only associate with the people in our individual work sections even though we have more than 600 Airmen here from all different career fields," said Taylor. "We don't always realize that we all have a lot in common, and by showing what we have in common and how we are connected, we can really promote the idea of the wingman concept."

Taylor said the "wingman concept" is important because it provides Airmen with individuals they can trust and go to who understand the issues they may be facing.
"They don't have to be scared to ask for help," said Taylor.

Raymo said he felt like the Wingman Day event was a success.

"The intent of this day was all about bringing people together to talk about a tough problem and help people feel connected to the Air Force Reserve and the 931st Air Refueling Group," said Raymo. "We all in some capacity deal with or know people who are going through pain or suffering. I hope that through events like this, people can start talking about their problems or issues and can get the help they need. We have to take care of our people; without our people, we have no mission."