Civilian Airman influences SAPR culture at Incirlik

Published May 8, 2015
By Senior Airman Michael Battles
39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Most people think uniformed Airmen are the only driving force that keeps the Air Force mission going, but alongside these personnel are civilian Airmen. These Airmen, stand side-by-side with their uniformed counterparts every day and provide vital expertise and continuity that not only affect the daily operations of their units and wings, but leave an overall impression on the Air Force for years to come.

Each May, the Air Force recognizes the invaluable skills of the civilian Airmen that make up the force during Air Force Public Service Recognition Week. PSRW celebrates the contributions that all civilian federal, state, county and local government employees have made to the nation.

This year's national theme which is "Government Works. Public servants do amazing things across our great nation, around the world, and in your hometown and community", perfectly describes the more than 183 thousand civilian Airmen who serve around the world in various roles and contribute to our nation's airpower.

One civilian Airman making an impression at Incirlik Air Base is Mamie Futrell, 39th Air Base Wing Sexual Assault Prevention and Response specialist. As a SAPR specialist, Futrell aids the wing in sexual assault prevention training, education, victim advocacy, reporting and accountability.

"As a civilian Airman, it is my goal to focus on positive relationship building," Futrell said. "Many people believe that we are here to just administer the mandatory SAPR training and respond to cases, but my role is much more than that. I have assisted our senior ranking leaders with bridging the generation gap and our younger Airmen with respecting each other and themselves."

Futrell, whose education focuses on social work, has been working at Incirlik Air Base as a SAPR specialist since November 2013.

"If I would have been asked 10 years ago what job I would be doing today, I honestly would not have expected to say this one," said Futrell. "I had experience working with children and adults who have been sexually assaulted all throughout my career. After becoming a military spouse I was adamant about applying for positions that allowed me to influence not just the Airmen on our base, but society as a whole."

According to Futrell, her passion for the job comes from the Airmen.

"The aspect of my position that I look forward to is the time I get to spend with Airmen out in the unit and in training environments," she said. "This is where I can let my personality and expertise shine the most. I am able to be innovative with my delivery of material in a way that resonates with Airmen. It is a great pleasure to leave trainings and hear the Airmen tell me that it is the best training they have attended."

Recently, during an installation visit by Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Futrell was hand-selected to speak with James about the sexual assault prevention program at Incirlik AB.

"The SAPR program is one area that we must continue to execute in order to take care of our Airmen," Futrell said. "Ms. James was able to ask us what support we need on the frontline that she can assist with. That just goes to show how lucky our Air Force is to serve with such a dedicated leader who is supportive at all levels and dedicated to improving our future."

According to Futrell, her previous experience is what helps her complete her goal of building a culture free of sexual assaults.

"Sexual assault is a societal issue and I am lucky enough to work for the greatest organization there is to help build a healthy culture for the future that is free of sexual violence," Futrell said. "My goal is to continue to get individuals to see that if we can build positive relationships with each other, we can get rid of many issues including sexual assault."

Additionally, as a result of Futrell's contributions to Incirlik's SAPR program, the 39th Air Base Wing's SAPR office was named the 2014 U.S. Forces in Europe SAPR Office of the Year Award.

Futrell finished by stating that the most important and rewarding part of her job is educating the base.

"More importantly, I have the influence to encourage prevention at all levels ensuring Airmen are educated about the importance of this issue and the negative impact sexual assault has on our people and our mission," she said.