Being a Wingman

  • Published
  • By Christina Carmen Crea
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  The 62nd Airlift Wing commander, Col. David Kumashiro, asked the Airmen of 62nd AW and 627th Air Base Group to turn on their cell phones Monday.

Then he told them to text someone "I'm a wingman."

During the wing's biannual Wingman Day with the theme "Connecting the Dots," officers and Airmen spoke about the importance of being a well-informed wingman.

"This event aims to get the Airmen together in one location to discuss issues that matter and affect us all," said Master Sgt. Todd Wivell, chief of Public Affairs, 62nd AW.

Wivell said this year is different from past Wingman Days because "the leadership wanted to focus on wingmen becoming better at connecting with each other."

At the end of the cell phone exercise, Kumashiro told audience members to input a number in their phones - his.

"I'm your wingman too," Kumashiro said. "You can talk to me. Anytime, I am here. Because it is that important to me. We can't afford to lose any one of you. And ... now I have 32 texts, thank you."

Issues that were discussed during the event included domestic violence and child abuse.

"Why are we talking about these things?" Kumashiro asked. "Because it happens. You will have to deal with this and we have to understand who to contact and have the courage to speak up and help others. Domestic violence haunts us. Sometimes they take stress out from past experiences on their families. We have individual wingman accountability and responsibility."

Assistant OIC Jessica Craig, 62nd AW, said she was glad they touched on sensitive topics people "tend to shy away from."

"We need to address them," Craig said. "The more light on them we shed, then the more chances we have to make change and help people."

She also thought the cell phone exercise was clever.

"We're always told to turn off our cell phones, and all of us are young Airmen, and then we have our commander telling us to turn on our cell phone," Craig laughed. "It was engaging and proved a point (to stick together as wingmen)."

Captain Jerred Kelly, 62nd AW Legal Office, said there are often two common misunderstandings when it comes to domestic violence.

"One, is if they (the couple) don't press charges, it goes away," Kelly said. "But in the military, that's not true. The military makes those decisions. And second, that it's personal and private. No. From military perspective, these kinds of things are not a private matter."

Kelly said everyone must work together to be informed and aware.

"We are entrusted with this uniform, so we need to live by those standards," Kelly said. "People who are serving alongside with you can help you if you need it."

Assistant OIC Erin Howell, 62nd AW, said a lot of people in the room texted each other - proving the point that everyone in the room is a wingman.

"It was a great event, they gave out a lot of good information and it wasn't too overwhelming," Howell said.