Winter Wingman Day 2011 Brings Airmen Together Through Team-Building, Fitness

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Erin Smith
  • 642th Regional Support Group
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Resiliency was the key word at Winter Wingman Day 2011 and Airmen were encouraged to support each other and have a positive, empowering attitude.

Chief Master Sgt. Brian Wong, 624th Regional Support Group command chief, kicked off the day with a briefing at the Hickam Memorial Theater, where he talked about a message he recently received in a fortune cookie, "The difference between falling and failing is whether or not you decide to get back up again."

He told Airmen in the unit to pause and take a step back and recognize situations and challenges for what they are.

"It takes deliberate thought and action to move forward and not get wrapped up in the past," he said. "Instead of feeling out of control, work on what you can do and focus on the areas you do have control of."

After the briefing, Airmen broke off into smaller groups within their respective units and worked on various exercises and team-building activities.

For some units, these activities included round table discussions, but for members of the 48th Aerial Port Squadron, fitness was included in the team building.

"From playing to sitting on the sidelines talking, this helped us build a sense of friendship and fellowship with each other. It felt good," said Senior Airman Isaiah Laikupu, 48th Aerial Port Squadron Air Transportation/Passenger Services.

This sense of friendship and family seems to be the norm at the 48th APS.

"We wanted to focus a good portion on resiliency and that feeling that your wingman is always there for you," said Senior Master Sgt. Tara Corse, 48th Aerial Port Squadron first sergeant. "We are very big on camaraderie here and building relationships within the units so you understand and know your wingman. Adding fitness in the mix helped build morale. It gave the chance to laugh and joke with one another as well as encourage each other with the occasional, 'good pass, good shot.'"

Sergeant Corse said that the unit plans to integrate this year's Wingman theme into Unit Training Assemblies throughout the year and it seems she has the support of her Airmen.

"It was awesome to see people interact through competitive bonding," said Airman Laikupu. "I think we should do this every UTA."