Photo By Staff Sgt. Renee Crugnale | U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, pose...... read more read more
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SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Over forty Airmen from the 165th Airlift Wing met during the first Rising Six meeting at the Georgia Air National Guard Base in Savannah, June 12, 2021, to discuss ways to create a more cohesive unit and bring new ideas to the organization.
The Rising Six organization is an enlisted professional organization where Airmen ranked E-1 to E-6 can have open discussion between the ranks about their workplace cultures, mentor one another and learn about career and professional development opportunities.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Caila Arahood, a public affairs specialist at the 165th Airlift Wing, led the first meeting and explained the overall goals of the organization and asked for input as to what the Airmen would like to see the Rising Six accomplish.
Some of the feedback from members ranged from wanting help with navigating educational benefits to learning more about how to submit awards packages.
“The Rising Six meeting is open to all Airmen Basics through Technical Sergeants and is meant to foster esprit de corps and camaraderie amongst all junior-enlisted Airmen and NCOs,” Arahood said. “In this organization we seek to provide mentorship, leadership, growth, and other professional development opportunities to the E-1 to E-6s in our wing.”
Another topic that Arahood covered with attending members was about the flow of information both up and down the chain of command and ways to improve communication channels throughout the wing.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jenna White, a member of the 165th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron, attended the meeting and used the discussion to voice her concerns about ways to get more information about the benefits of military service and available resources.
“I think some of the disconnect is that there are several opportunities available to Airmen on base, but there’s no middle man to explain the best way to get involved,” White said, “The Rising Six is a great way to bridge those gaps.”
U.S. Air Force Col. David Smith, the vice wing commander, and U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Francisco Ramirez, both of the 165th Airlift Wing, stopped in during the meeting to talk with the Airmen in attendance.
“This is an opportunity for all of you, the next generation of Airmen, to take the 165th further into the 21st Century”, Ramirez said.
Smith and Ramirez both spoke about the challenge we face as a traditional guard unit with limited time to train compared to active-duty units and said whenever we can offer unique mentorship opportunities, like the Rising Six, to our members it is beneficial to all involved.
“Within the next three to five years, many senior leaders may not be here at the wing due to retirement or other job opportunities,” Smith said, “With that being said, the future of the wing is in the hands of the enlisted core and junior officers, so it is very important to establish an organization like this now.”
Smith also said the Rising Six organization is an effective way to open communication lines between Airmen on base and to provide more leadership and mentorship experiences to those in the wing.
Both leaders agreed that mentorship can come from the top down, from the bottom up and across the ranks.
Ramirez highlighted that the advantage of the Air National Guard is that we have diversity in those who serve and in the many skills that they bring which contributes to how well we accomplish the mission.
The Rising Six is welcoming 165th Airlift Wing Airmen rank E-1 to E-6 to attend future meetings which will be announced as they are scheduled.
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2021 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 403061 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH , GA, US |
| Web Views: | 689 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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