Photo By Jerry Hewitt | A photo of the 104th Fighter Wing Chaplain's annual Golf and Grow tournament trophy,...... read more read more
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104th Fighter Wing holds first annual Golf and Grow event, build resiliency
By Jay Hewitt, 104th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Westfield, Mass. – A total of 31 teams and 131 members of the 104th Fighter Wing recently participated in the wing’s first annual Chaplain’s Golf and Grow tournament, June 27, 2025, at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield, Mass.
Hosted by Capt. Joshua Carollo, 104th Fighter Wing Chaplain, the Golf and Grow event acted as both as morale and team-building event for 104th members, and also providing members with critical takeaways on building mental resiliency in the workplace and at home.
At the start of the event, Capt. Carollo spoke on finding ways to manage stress and improving methods to build mental resiliency and overall wellness. During his speech, Carollo also showed an image that could potentially be seen as two different images altogether, if looked at from a different angle or perspective. Carollo then emphasized that the image demonstrated how there are multiple ways to view potential stresses in life, and that taking a new perspective on an issue or stressor can help lead to effective solutions.
After explaining the rules of the event and showcasing the available trophies for the players, including a first place, second, and third place trophies, with the addition of a “most resilient team” trophy, in which the team that I had played with joyously received at the culmination of the event.
Throughout the course, Carollo had also placed motivational signs at each of the respective tee-boxes, which offered tips and methods to improve overall wellness and build resiliency. Halfway through the round, the players were also greeted with a surprise sighting from three F-15C Eagle’s from the wing flying in close formation, as 104th Fighter Wing pilot Capt. Scott 'Recon' Vonjouanne flew over the skies for his fini-flight in the F-15, which was met with cheering and applause from the participants.
After a challenging round on the course, (including multiple double-bogeys from myself), the teams each finished up their final 18th hole and proceeded toward the trophy presentation, where Chaplain Carollo presented the awards, thanked everyone for participating, and reminded everyone that mental resiliency is a key component of building strength and a stronger overall Force.
During the presentation, Carollo handed out the first-place trophy to the team that finished at an impressive fourteen under par, which consisted of four members of the 104th Contracting Office, Master Sgt. Brad Erdmann, 104th contracting officer, Master Sgt. Nathan Staples, 104th contracting specialist, Staff Sgt. Daniel Siano, 104th knowledge management specialist, and Staff Sgt. Wesley Baalman, 104th financial analysis specialist.
After the event, Staples spoke on his experience playing in the wing’s first annual Chaplain’s Golf and Grow event and the significance of spending time with fellow Airmen to build stronger bonds.
“It was a pleasure working with Chaplain Carollo, his team, and the team at East Mountain Country Club to plan this event,” said Staples. “We had maximum participation from Barnestormers for the Chaplain’s morning resiliency briefing and the golf tournament which made for an amazing experience.”
Chaplain Carollo further expressed excitement for the overall success and effectiveness of the event, and looked forward to the event becoming a yearly Barnestormer tradition to build morale and discuss effective ways to build mental resiliency and strive to become better people, and better Airmen.
“Events like the Golf-and-Grow build resiliency through interaction on topics that impact our personal lives,” Carollo said. “As a chaplain, I have the privilege of serving these Airmen by providing opportunities to eat, laugh, and grow together. These types of events build unit cohesion, boost morale, and bolster lethality.”
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2025 19:59 |
| Story ID: | 542378 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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