Sometimes the hardest battles Airmen face aren't in the skies or on a deployment, but within their own minds.
Five members of Team Fairchild were selected to share stories that showed a moment or journey of resilience in their military careers. Members volunteered to share their experiences, offering diverse perspectives on the paths leading to those pivotal moments, the recovery process and their subsequent personal growth.
For Captain Eric Roach, 384th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker pilot and assistant director of operations, his story was about his mental health and the possibility of losing his wings.
In 2020, Roach reached a turning point in his career. He showed regression in his performance and was to a point where he couldn’t execute the mission anymore. It wasn’t that he couldn’t fly or that he was lacking leadership ability, as those were things his leadership could have helped him with.
When he described what happened to him mentally, it was reminiscent of PTSD. Roach understood that he had two options from that point, he could keep going down the same path and risk losing his wings or go seek mental health treatment.
There has been a stigma in the military for a long time about seeking mental health treatment. The stigma stems from the belief system of working hard and improving yourself on your own, and if you sought out mental health care, that was a sign of weakness.
“Just man up, you know?” said Roach, “Stop whining, stop complaining, put your head down and get to work.”
That mindset stopped Roach from going to mental health for a long time. But the chance that he could keep his wings is what drove him to make that first step. He figured out that the reason why he was struggling during missions was due to childhood trauma that had never been processed.
“I came away from it equipped with the knowledge of how to deal with the stress and anxiety that I was feeling,” Roach said. “Events that used to be triggering… no longer had an effect on me.”
Ultimately, he retained his wings and was finally able to process the mental hurdles that had been holding him back.
The story Staff Sgt. Tennial Austin, 92nd Force Support Squadron resource management specialist, shared was about how she dealt with the loss of someone close to her.
Austin enjoyed her time in the Air Force and was excelling early in her career. However, just as she was preparing to promote to staff sergeant, her sister, who was born with sickle cell anemia, suddenly passed away. Everything stopped, and she began to struggle and isolate herself. Some days she couldn’t even leave her bed.
“I didn’t want to talk to anybody.” Austin said, “I thought it was the end for me. I contemplated not being here anymore.”
Ultimately, it was the people around Austin that guided her through this difficult chapter. A vital source of strength was her cousin, U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Tina Warren. As the person who first opened the door for Austin to enlist, Warren once again stepped up, helping her find her footing and reclaim her life.
Alongside her family, her military community provided unwavering backing. Mentors like Master Sgt. Patricia Gant and Master Sgt. Sam Augustine encouraged her to push past her boundaries and embrace growth. Bolstered by a leadership team that held her up during her darkest days, Austin continues to rely on their ongoing support as she faces the future.
“Good leadership, they know their people,” Austin said, “They know who they work with. That’s really important to me because if you don’t know who your people are, then you don’t know what they’re going through. Good leadership will always identify, they look strange today, or they’re coming in late, coming in different.”
One of the first steps she took to start healing was grief counseling. Later, she started therapy and was recommended to take up journaling, which are things she still does to this day. She was able to finally process and know that her sister would always be with her.
After her service in the Air Force, Austin plans to join a sickle cell disease organization to help those like her sister.
The experiences shared by both Roach and Austin demonstrate the many different ways resilience can take shape. Whether it was navigating a mental health battle to save a career or finding the strength to move through grief, their stories highlight that support is always available from leadership, mentors, chaplains and family. Ultimately, their message to the wing was clear: no one has to face adversity alone, and using support resources empowers every service member to become the best Airman they can be.