Care during the holidays, beyond

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Antwine
  • 39th Air Base Wing command chief
Well it is that time of the year again where we see supervisors inviting friends and Airmen over for a home-cooked meal. This past Thanksgiving was no exception; everyone appeared to be well taken care of. There were Airmen spending time with families across the base.

There were also organizations taking care of the remaining Airmen that were either working or just hanging out in the dorms. The 39th Services Squadron did an outstanding job of delivering meals with all the trimmings to our security forces warriors on-duty - they were very pleased to not only receive the meal, but to have their leadership serve them. The Sultan's Inn Dining Facility also prepared a first-class meal. There were commanders, chiefs and first sergeants serving our Airmen throughout the day.

There were numerous Project Cheer events around the base, from the Crossroads Café to large dorm cookouts - Team Incirlik really took care of each other.

I remember making a comment that if a single person did not eat or was not taken care of, it was only because they chose not to.

I am sure Christmas and New Year's Day will be no different; in fact, I have already seen the Sultan's Inn holiday meal "volunteer serving roster" for leadership. These rosters fill up quickly.

As we move away from the holiday season, I would ask that we continue to take care of all our Airmen, subordinates, peers, and supervisors, accompanied and unaccompanied alike, on a daily basis and not wait for major holidays. We are all far away from our home and family members; especially our unaccompanied Airmen serving 15-month tours separated from their spouses, children and loved ones.

Take a few extra minutes to see if there is anything you can do to lift their spirits. Being separated from loved ones is tough at anytime, but being separated during the holidays can be devastating for some.

Talk with your Airmen; you would be surprised to know the impact you may have in helping someone cope with issues that you are not even aware of. Let us be good Wingmen and work toward taking care of one another, not only during the holidays, but throughout our tours here at Incirlik.