Airmen have duty to intervene

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher Carranza
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The duty to intervene is every Airman's responsibility to help fellow service members in their time of need.

"The duty to intervene is inherent in being a wingman," said Col. Corey Martin, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander. "It is simply not acceptable to be a bystander and fail to take action when we know a fellow Airman is doing something potentially harmful to themselves or others. Shrinking from this duty undermines our readiness and morale. Of course it takes moral courage to take action, but I know that we are up to the challenge of fulfilling our duty in this area."

Being a wingman does not need a specific rank or specialty, it does however need the integrity and honesty of Airmen caring for fellow Airmen and advising them when something is wrong.

Wesley Yancey, 60th Air Mobility Wing community support coordinator, has some tips on what Airmen should do.

"It is of great importance that we get to know each other," Yancey said. "Developing positive relationships is a focus of the Integrated Delivery System and research has proven that the quality of our close relationships is the key to all four domains of Comprehensive Airman Fitness.

"The Integrated Delivery System is made up of all the helping agencies on base and it is part of our duty to develop a comprehensive plan for integrating and implementing community outreach and prevention programs with the goal of enhancing resilience in our military community. If an Airman is uncomfortable or does not feel safe in intervening directly, they do have options such as calling the authorities or reaching out to one of the helping agencies."

Yancey went on to add that, intervening in any type of situation may be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary action that all service members must be willing to take upon themselves.

The duty to intervene flows top-down from AMC to each individual Golden Bear.

"I often say that I do not want any Golden Bear at Travis to suffer in silence and preventing that often requires a wingman to intervene," Martin said.