Instilling responsibility in Airmen

  • Published
  • By Justin Oakes
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Making the right choice isn't always easy -- and where do Airmen learn to make these right choices anyway? 

A Culture of Responsible Choices meeting was held Feb. 26 to discuss just this -- how does the base community help Thunderbolts make wiser decisions? 

"A wide variety of topics were discussed," said Ben Bruce, 56th Fighter Wing Ground Safety manager. "The meeting didn't just focus on drinking and driving, but also issues such as sexual assault prevention, drug awareness and how to be a responsible wingman in general." 

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office highlighted their "gut check" training program. The program is designed to teach individuals how to prevent sexual assault by intervening in situations that could easily lead to violence. There will be a class March 17 to train 20 to 25 Airmen how to function as instructors. 

Many of the ideas generated at the CORC meeting are a direct result of candid feedback received from Airmen at all levels. 

"It is important to receive honest feedback from the younger Airmen in order to better improve upon our safety programs," Mr. Bruce said. "We recently gathered great input from a 30-Airmen focus group regarding what constitutes an effective safety day. It's always fascinating to hear what younger people think, and they also offer many new perspectives." 

Using humor to communicate safety messages was proposed during the meeting.
The ball is rolling to bring comedian, Burney McGrenahan, and his "Happy Hour" standup show to Luke Air Force Base. McGrenahan's 30-minute presentation addresses the consequences of drinking and driving as well as his own personal experience with drug abuse. 

"We are currently looking for new things to bring to Wingman Day, which is scheduled for sometime in November," Mr. Bruce said. 

Not all topics revolved around new ideas however. 

Airmen Against Drunk Driving is a common topic of discussion and was re-emphasized during the meeting. 

"More Airmen are needed to man the phones during the weekends, and recently we've been having trouble finding volunteers," Mr. Bruce said. 

Thunderbolts who attended the meeting walked away confident that the discussions were productive and will better all Luke Airmen in the near future. 

"Creating synergy between all agencies to instill responsible thinking in Airmen is the objective of CORC," he said. "Hopefully, these programs will encourage Airmen to make better choices and demonstrate what it means to be a U.S. Airman."