Remember the wingman concept Published Oct. 17, 2007 By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Over the past sixteen months, I've witnessed some tremendous efforts and hard work exhibited by all. However, unfortunately I've also witnessed some stress. Our senior leaders realize that stress sometimes is the result of stretching our people to their limits. Our challenging operations tempo, exercise preparations and inspections are all contributing factors to stress. Regrettably that's not going to change. And, we are quickly approaching the most festive time of year for most people. For others the holiday season can be extremely stressful. For some of our Airmen, this will be their first holiday season away from family and friends. It's time to develop strategies to ensure not one Airman spends this holiday season alone. We can't afford to wait until the holiday season is upon us to begin our preparation to defend what I referred to as transparent adversaries. Therefore, we are relying on you to ensure the safety and welfare of your wingman ... now more than ever before. In the past two years, suicides and safety mishaps have dramatically skyrocketed. It's imperative that we remain vigilant to the signs and symptoms of these sometimes transparent adversaries: loneliness, depression and suicidal ideations. Communication is vitally important. We must make time to listen to our subordinates, co-workers, peers, family members, etc. Often times people cry out for help in some form, only for the recipient not to take the plea for help serious enough to act upon. As a wingman, your responsibility is to identify any signs or symptoms and take action. Our installation has numerous agencies to assist you with identifying the signs and symptoms of a problem before the situation escalates. I encourage you to become intimately familiar with those agencies. But more importantly, I encourage you to know your people, communicate with them and motivate them to adopt a wingman. Don't wait until they commit an infraction or experience a potentially life-threatening incident because at that time it's too late. Every Airman must consider themselves as a first line of defense if we are going to combat this often silent adversary. As team Travis, remains engaged in supporting this war against terrorism, this operations tempo will be our steady state for sometime to come. We need every Airman to accomplish our mission. Losing one Airmen to an injury or fatality is one too many. Let's make this holiday season fatality free. Have a great weekend, be safe, make responsible choices and I will see you around campus.