Wingmen then and now

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Justin Dennis
  • 316th Training Squadron
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The following essay is the winning one from the Top 3's quarterly essay contest. The contest gives NCOs a chance to share their leadership ideas. The theme for this quarter is "how to be a good wingman."

The "Good Wingman" is a concept not unique to the Air Force. A simple search on the internet will bring up several results, mainly dealing with helping your best friend get a date at the bar, but to the Air Force it's so much more than that. This concept has become a cornerstone of all we do and is paramount to our continued success.

Wingmen came into being with the development of the fighter aircraft. When pilots worked in pairs they could split their responsibilities. The lead pilot was able to concentrate on the mission at hand and the wingman was available to scan for threats to the lead pilot and to the mission. It was quickly found that having a wingman to watch your back usually led to greater mission success.

As the world has changed, the mission of the armed forces has changed, and the Wingman's roll along with it. Now a wingman isn't only found in fighter sorties, but in all aspects of everything we do. The military culture has many unique characteristics that aren't found in the civilian world, and as such, additional support from those around us is a must.

Being a good wingman is so important to the Air Force that it's mentioned twice in AFI 36-2618: Enlisted Force Structure. In both the General Junior Enlisted and General NCO Responsibilities sections it states that we are to "know and understand the wingman concept: Airmen take care of other fellow Airmen. Being a good wingman means you share a bond with other Airmen. You can be counted on to support each other, in all situations, both on- and off-duty."

And we do share a bond with the other Airmen around us. The question is; how strong is that bond? Can we be counted on to support each other in all situations, like the Enlisted Force Structure says we should?

In today's Air Force the wingman takes on several important roles and gives support in key areas of fellow Airmen's lives. A good wingman will be ready to support others with their physical, mental, social and spiritual health. These four aspects are key to ensuring the wellbeing of your fellow Airmen and learning how to give appropriate help at the right time is an important skill we all should learn.

Looking at these four aspects, we can see they aren't necessarily separate ideas, but are overlapping concepts that can be incorporated into each other. The one common theme that ties them together is social support of others. Whether helping a struggling Airman get ready for an upcoming fitness test, studying with a classmate or discussing personal beliefs with a peer, all of these things help us build relationships with the people around us and healthy relationships are the basis of good health all around.
The modern wingman has come a long way since the term was first created, but the core idea is still the same. It's all about looking out for the people around us and we all know that the strength of any organization is its people.