The wingman, part 1 of a 3 part series

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steven Wilson
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AFB, S.D. --  The pale, cold light of dawn slowly creeps over the horizon of no man's land - the twisted, charred and ruinous contested landscape marking the lines between Germany and France. 

On this cold fall morning in 1915, Allied Airmen climbed into their flying machines, which aren't much more than crates of wood and cloth held together by a little glue and a lot of faith. They are powered by radial gasoline engines and defended by machine guns ... and each other. 

The engines hiccup, sputter to life and propel the scarf-and-goggle clad aviators toward the heavens. Each fledgling pilot relies on his fellow Airmen to watch his "six." The lessons of "beware the Hun in the sun," "always attack from above" and most importantly, "never leave your wingman" are the only things that stand between them and a fiery depth. 

Now, fast forward almost 100 years. 

An Airman is off-duty, hanging out with his friends. He's worked hard all week, has returned from a deployment not long ago and is enjoying a night out.
He's had a few too many. 

As the Airman approaches his vehicle, keys in hand, he's stopped by a squadron mate and prevented from making a potentially fatal decision. 

The old adage of "never leave your wingman" rings true again. 

"History shows us the wingman concept has been around a long time," said Col. Scott Vander Hamm, 28th Bomb Wing commander. "It didn't take fliers long to learn you needed someone out there covering you," he said. 

Ellsworth's boss explained early aviators formed lethal teams in the air that were solidified by friendships made on the ground. 

But it's not just for fliers. 

"The wingman concept is more important now than ever," Colonel Vander Hamm explained. "It applies to everyone in uniform, and it's pretty simple. We all have to absolutely look out for one another. This means watch out for each other in the combat theater, at home station and off duty." 

Ellsworth's top enlisted leader echoed the boss' sentiment and said it's incumbent on the seasoned troops to watch out for the generation that will eventually replace them.
"We're putting more of our enlisted tier in combat situations now than ever before," said Chief Master Sgt. John Gillette, 28th Bomb Wing command chief. 

"This is a great testament to just how professional the stripe-wearers in today's total force are," he continued. 

"We put people in enough danger by being a nation at war. We can't afford to lose anyone off duty, especially when a wingman, co-worker, friend or whatever you want to call it could have intervened and got them out of a bad spot." 

Whether it's covering your buddy in the air or lending that helping hand on the ground, the wingman is a unique concept to the Airman culture. It applies to all ranks and specialties. Not having a wingman can have dire effects on a military career ... or worse.
Stay tuned for part two of this three-part series.