JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- Throughout the military experience, all Airmen are instructed to find a Wingman. That person, or persons, commits to providing outside perspective, protective support, and genuine caring and sage advice. As wounded, ill, and injured Airmen, Warriors navigate the myriad of unintentional roadblocks and broken processes, where the run-around manifests itself. This is one of the most important times of an Airman’s life, where having a Wingman becomes an absolute necessity.
The Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) program is staffed by professional and caring Wingmen. They offer trained advice to overcome roadblocks and run-arounds, and help Warriors navigate more successfully any unexpected obstacles and undesired departures from the military.
My journey with AFW2 started in the Wounded and Ill Cell, where I worked to enroll Airmen; ones I’d never met. I wondered how they felt being assigned to a program comprised of Wingmen, when many felt their previous Wingmen failed them in some way. Where was their Wingman’s support to keep them from getting to this point and lose faith in the process? At this moment of despair, confusion, and sometimes anger is where the AFW2 Wingman comes in: to restore that lost faith.
Now I work with the Temporary Retire Airman’s Care (TRAC) and my job as a Non-Medical Care Manager (NMCM) is critical. The TRAC team is responsible for getting the Warrior placed on the Permanent Disability Retirement List (PDRL) or the less desirable outcome of Discharge with Severance. Along this transitional journey having a Wingman is most important. Initial shock and the wide range of emotions from being medically discharged from the Air Force begin subsiding and are replaced with either an excitement for the future or increased depression because of their circumstances and questions that will arise. Where do they want to live? Will they be able to save their marriages? What will they do to make up for lost income? What do they want to do now? What benefits are available for them? This is where the TRAC NMCM Wingman’s support is so vital.
Wounded Warriors must discover how to overcome new challenges that can cause them to re-imagine their dreams of what their live was to be. With all the uncertainty that arises during the separation process the questions come: Who do I turn to? Who can I trust and rely on? Who will listen to me rant and rave? Who do I turn to for motivation to change and be successful for myself and family? Many times, Warriors find themselves separated from society and don’t know how to re-integrate and the TRAC team gently guides them to transition from reliance on given orders, to self-governing and self-guiding reintegrating themselves back into a non-military society.
Everyone needs a Wingman to provide guidance and difficult truths from an outside perspective, one who is willing to inject themselves into the situation when necessary. The embolden heart and fortitude of the Wingman isn’t exclusive to the AFW2 TRAC team, but evident throughout the bumpy, winding road known as separation. If you are a Wounded Warrior, are you ready to trust your Wingman again?