Taking care of each other

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Amy Riley
  • 9th Force Support Sqaudron
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Every day I come into work wondering what the day has in store for me. How many times my phone is going to ring? How many times will my priority list change? Most importantly, how many "Airmen" am I going to help today? I have been in the service for almost 16 years, but this last year as a First Sergeant has been one of the most rewarding and yet challenging of my career.

Daily I have to ask myself how I can better help our Airmen get through their life stressors. Most Airmen cope with mental, physical, and emotional stressors without it being detrimental to their daily routines. For others, those same stressors hinder them from being the best person and Airman they can be. We all handle situations differently; yet some simply can't deal with what life throws at them. Why is that? Why do some crumble under pressure and some simply keep pressing forward? I don't have that answer, but what I will say is we all need to do a better job of helping our Airman get through their stressors even if it seems minor to us.

We talk long and extensively about resiliency and Comprehensive Airmen Fitness yet I hear about more Airmen now contemplating and attempting suicide than I did 10 years ago. Maybe it is because of my job now that I am more privy to that information, but I find it very unsettling to know that these individuals feel like they don't have anyone to support them. Our military asks us to be war fighters; yet issuing a letter of reprimand might be what makes this Airman want to end their life. How can we send this person to war, the very job they signed up for, when issuing disciplinary actions has such a crippling effect on them?

I may be being a bit extreme in my scenario, but it holds some truth to it. I need to know that you are going to go out every day and get the mission done and you need to know that leadership is there to help take care of you even if you are being disciplined. Being in the military is not easy nor is it something that just anyone can do.

Wearing the uniform and defending people's rights is a calling which requires discipline, courage, and strength. Not everyone has that every single day, but we all need to know that there is always someone we can count on to help us through our tough times.