JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - RANDOLPH, Texas –
(This is the fourth in a four-part series highlighting the Airmen’s Week Program and the Military Training Instructors selected to be facilitators of a curriculum striving to inspire professionalism and excellence in the Air Force’s newest Airmen. Tech. Sgt. Heather Mummery hails from Rochester, NY and is currently assigned to the 326th Training Squadron as a Military Training Instructor facilitator.)
After the completion of Basic Military Training, but before Airmen depart for their various technical training locations, lies a relatively new, yet crucial program geared toward the betterment of the Air Force: Airmen’s Week. Airmen’s week is a 31-hour values-based course with a mission to “develop professional, resilient Airmen, inspire by our heritage, committed to the Air Force Core Values and motivated to deliver Airpower for America.”
As the program nears its second anniversary, members of the Airmen’s Week team reflect on the changes they have witnessed and goals for the future of the program.
What has being selected to join the Airmen’s Week team been like for you?
This experience has really allowed me to grow as a noncommissioned officer. When I joined about 15 years ago, I never had anyone give me the bigger picture as far as how the Basic Military Training experience fits in. This has given me the opportunity to see what changes not only in society need to happen, but in the bigger Air Force. We are a family and we need to treat each other with more respect.
How do you think Airmen’s Week is benefiting the future Air Force?
I think that this program is benefiting the Air Force in many ways. One benefit is that many new Airmen are able to challenge wrong decisions being made in order to help their wingman. Their wingman could be a peer, NCO or officer.
What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?
The most challenging part of my job is to get the Airmen to give me not just the school house answer, but the real action they would take when face-to-face with peer pressure. The most rewarding part of my job is being able to interact with Airmen that really want to go out and make a difference while holding each other to a higher standard.
Do you wish you were able to attend Airmen's Week as a young Airman? Why?
Yes! Maybe if I had attended Airmen’s Week I wouldn’t have done as many of the crazy things I did as a young Airman. I would have had a mentor or someone to look up to, not just an MTI that scared me into not wanting to talk to any NCO at all. Airmen’s Week is a great transition week for Airmen to realize that we are all human and we all need to hold each other to a standard. If an NCO or someone higher ranking is not meeting the standard it’s acceptable to respectfully step up and say something. I never learned that until I was at my first duty station when the "knock it off" policy was first released. It was a scary thing to do when faced with being against your peers and being judged.
In an interview with Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, commander of Air Education and Training Command, he stated that Airmen's Week is "changing the culture of our Air Force starting with our newest Airmen..." Can you speak to that? What does that mean to you?
Our culture has changed from 10, 15, 20 years ago. With today's culture, we need to be able to embrace what is going to come at us. I do believe that the change does start with our newest Airmen because they want to be here and they are realizing in “Airmen's Week" that this is their calling. No one forced their hand to sign the paper to enlist. It was their choice to be here. We are being held to the standard that has been set, if not exceeding it, to make the Air Force a better place. There is more value in being the best Airmen that we can be. Just think of what the Airmen's Creed really means.