Units build camraderie

Master Sgt. John Wiggins, 607th Air Control Squadron resource advisor, cook burgers and hot dogs for members during a welcoming party for Col. Scott Fisher, 552nd Air Control Group commander. The 607th is a tenat unit at Luke Air Force Base and belong to the 552nd ACG, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklah. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Tong Duong.)

Units build camraderie

Staff Sgt. David Underdonk, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron carpenter, tosses water at participants in attempts to sink their boats, as CES members cheer them on during the unit carboard boat race and barbeque at the Silver Wings Pool recently. Each shop that participated was asked to build a boat out of cardboard and duct tape. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Frank Hatcher.)

Units build camaraderie

Published Nov. 6, 2008
By Senior Airman Tong Duong
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- From pulling chocks and maintaining jets to ensuring documents and records are properly filed, Luke Air Force Base Airmen work around the clock meeting the wing's mission.

Recognizing the excellent work of Airmen, unit morale representatives across base have their own way of giving back to members for their hard work and dedication.
Members of the 56th Mission Support Squadron recently donned their favorite football jerseys while serving their customers.

With the help of her unit advisory council, 2nd Lt. Kelly Voci, 56th MSS customer service and force management officer-in-charge, put together a casual football Friday as a way for members to support their favorite football team, while building camaraderie through a common interest.

Similar to a booster club, the UAC's goal is to have a morale building event twice a month. But with the wing's operation tempo, that is not always possible, said Staff Sgt. Lynthia Crumley, 56th MSS personnel readiness assistant NCO-in-charge and UAC member.

"When we plan an event, we want it to be something our civilians and attached agencies can also enjoy," Sergeant Crumbly said. "It's something to relax the mood."

Funded by a previous bake sale, MSS has hosted events to include a movie, pizza and sandwich morale day as ways to give back to their members.

Not only that, unit morale is important to team building and unit cohesion said Staff Sgt. Michael Lydko, 309th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief and UMR. It enables Airmen to perform better at work and puts them in the right mindset to go above and beyond.

The 309th AMU recently hosted a "Duck Olympics" which pitted maintenance sections against each other in events such as tug-o-war, dunk tank, volleyball, pie-in-the-face, horse shoes and more, as a way to build camaraderie.

Such events also allow people from different sections to meet and it gives supervisors an opportunity to learn more about their subordinates outside of the duty section, according to Sergeant Crumley.

"You get to see the other side of people and have conversations with Airmen that do not pertain to work," she said. "When you get to see a person in a relaxed setting, you are more aware when something is wrong, and you may be able to communicate with them better."