ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. – During Wingman Day Sept. 1, 2016, Ellsworth personnel attended several events as a way to relax, create and strengthen bonds with their fellow Airmen and learn to grow through adversities.
Dennis Wier, 28th Bomb Wing community support coordinator, explained each Wingman Day usually focuses on two domains of Comprehensive Airman Fitness; in this case the spiritual and mental domains.
“We had various speakers [who] focused on these domains, and we had Kevin Hines [speaking], a young man who at the age of 19 jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and survived,” Wier explained. “Now he travels the country talking about the art of wellness, and [encouraging] people to look at a more positive aspect than a negative one.”
Additionally, Col. Gentry Boswell, Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, spoke on wing successes over the past year and encouraged Airmen to take advantage of the holiday weekend to relax and recharge for the future.
“In the last six months, we tested our cyber security capabilities and whether we could successfully execute our mission,” Boswell said. “We also did fantastic in the unit effectiveness inspection, and it was the best Air Force Global Strike Command has seen in two years.”
Boswell stated with the long weekend, take it to have a good time, make good decisions and take care of yourself. People know how to do their jobs, and do them well, and he thanked Ellsworth personnel for what they do every day.
“The way ahead is our mission of continuous bomber presence,” Boswell added. “We will continue to [be able to] provide immediate strikes from this base, anytime, anywhere because that’s our mission.”
Finally, a speaking event hosted at the Deployment Center, Slaying your Personal Giants presented four Ellsworth Airmen’s stories of the challenges they faced in life and how they overcame them.
“The one true thing that makes a difference in people is hearing somebody’s story of perseverance, hearing of someone’s story of overcoming something that at the moment seemed devastating, but in hindsight was a turning point in their life, whether it be a poor decision they made or life just happened,” said Master Sgt. Eva Henry, the line delivery element section chief with the 28th Munitions Squadron. “What happened to you may not necessarily be your fault, but how you deal with it and how you come back from it is 100 percent your responsibility.”
Henry said hearing these stories puts things in perspective because everyone has something that they struggle with, everyone is fighting some kind of battle on some kind of level, but how they deal with it is what really matters.
“Life is hard, things will happen to you, but ultimately it’s a choice, how are you going to deal with it,” Henry said. “More importantly there are people who are willing to stand beside you and help you get through what you are trying to slay.”