28th BW commander addresses safety, sexual assault awareness

  • Published
  • By Airman Ashley J. Woolridge
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Airmen and civilian employees assembled for an address that focused on safety and sexual assault awareness by Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander, Dec. 13, in the Pride Hangar.

Weatherington stressed how critical it is to make safety a part of the upcoming holiday season, and thanked Airmen for their continued commitment to accomplishing the base's mission during the sessions at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.

"It's a great time of year around here," Weatherington opened. "It's been a great couple weeks of flying, sorties are going great, and the MQ-9 (Reaper) mission is going awesome."

Like so many other servicemembers, many Airmen will be spending time alone or away from their families during the holidays. Weatherington encouraged everyone to be good wingmen and contribute to the welfare of their fellow Airmen.

"I want you to remember that it can be a very difficult time of year for some people," Weatherington said. "Take care of yourself and take care of those people around you. You can make a difference in somebody's life. And if you need some help, have the courage to step up and say something and we'll get you the help that you need."

The colonel focused on the issue of sexual assault in the Air Force. He explained his attendance, along with every other active-duty wing commander in the Air Force, at a meeting with Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, in Washington, D.C.

"An entire 4,000-person wing with combat operations going on in the desert right now, MQ-9 combat operations going on every day, all of the infrastructure and installation support going on, and this (sexual assault) is my number one issue," Weatherington said.

Weatherington said there have been 700 reported sexual assaults in the entire AF this year, and many more assaults remain unreported. "We can't accept that," Weatherington said. "We owe our Airmen an environment where they can contribute 100 percent without fear or concern for their safety.

"Every organization in this Air Force - every unit - went through a health and welfare inspection of work centers, common areas and shared computer resources this week," Weatherington said, reaffirming the service's stance of zero tolerance for sexual assault.

Although many Airmen may think sexual assault isn't an issue at Ellsworth, Weatherington stressed that what may seem like innocent comments or actions are not acceptable.

"It is not our tradition, it's not our heritage, and it doesn't make us better," Weatherington emphasized. "It disenfranchises entire groups of people. I'm talking about bullying, harassment and a lot of other behaviors that are going on unchecked."

The colonel said the road to a sexual assault-free AF will be a long one, but that he and the rest of Ellsworth's leadership are committed to seeing it through.

"We're going to come back (in 2013) with the right attitude about this and we're going to change the culture where it needs to be changed," Weatherington promised. "I think the Air Force has a long way to go, but at the end of the day, you can be very proud about where we're going and your part in this."

Weatherington closed by reminding Airmen to recoup over the holidays, relax and then put their game faces on for 2013.

"There are some incredible things happening here," Weatherington added. "You can be very proud of what you do to make that mission possible. I'm very proud of you, and thank you very much for all that you do."