JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Joint Base Charleston recently received 10 new Master Resilience Training instructors when seven Airmen and three civilians completed the Master Resilience Trainer Course at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
The new MRTs will help achieve Air Mobility Command's Resilience Strategy 2012, which is to produce a command of fit, resilient Airmen, families, civilians and the Total Force, coping effectively in a community that thrives in the face of challenges and bounces back from adversity.
Joint Base Charleston's new MRT are:
· Capt. Timothy Kniefel, 15th Airlift Squadron
· Capt. Christopher Skoutas, 16th Airlift Squadron
· 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Johnsen, 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron
· Senior Master Sgt. Michelle McMeekin, 628th Forces Support Squadron
· Master Sgt. William Lipsett, 628th Civil Engineer Squadron
· Master Sgt. Timothy Williams, 16th Airlift Squadron
· Master Sgt. Phillip Wilson, 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron
· Angela Cottman, 628th Force Support Squadron
· Andre Garceau, 628th Air Base Wing
· Toby Housey, 628th Air Base Wing Equal Opportunity
Master Resilience Trainers serve as an integral component to provide trained and certified members as installation experts for Comprehensive Airman Fitness - Resiliency, said Garceau, 628th Air Base Wing Community Support coordinator. MRTs will provide awareness education and skill development techniques for Airmen and their families to enhance individual resilience across the four pillars of CAF: mental, physical, social and spiritual.
"I can understand how the populace could make assumptions about this resiliency training course prior to attending, and seeing it as another mandatory training requirement to combat suicide and negative trends [drinking, DUIs, domestic abuse]," said McMeekin, 628th Force Support Squadron Career Assistance Advisor and Installation Lead MRT. "This training is not designed to be a program, but a mindset - a cultural shift."
Air Mobility Command mandates that 80 percent of active-duty Airmen will receive the training by Dec. 31, 2013. The 628th Air Base Wing is currently at 31 percent trained, and the 437th Airlift Wing is at 25 percent.
"With continued encouragement and support to fill all available/offered classes, we are on target to reach the 80 percent goal of Joint Base Charleston active-duty Airmen being trained this year," said McMeekin. "I've not had one person say 'what a waste,' after attending a class. Usually the responses are 'I could have used this training years ago,' 'why didn't I get this as an Airman?' or 'my family needs this training.'"
Members who want to become an MRT must:
· Be in the enlisted grades of E-5 through E-7, officer grades of O-1 through O-4 and Air Force civilian employees in the grades of GS-09 through GS-12
· Have no current record of disciplinary action or history of financial irresponsibility
· Enlisted must have a rating of 4 or 5 on last five EPRs; officers must meet standards on last five OPRs; AF civilian employees must have current rating of "Acceptable"
· Current PT score must be greater than or equal to 80 (if applicable)
· If profile exists, AF Form 422 must be current
· Military members must have more than or equal to 24 months retainability
· The 10-day training course offered at the Expeditionary Center includes one week of resilience skills training followed by one week of teach-back training. The course also includes 20-25 hours of prerequisite, computer-based training in ADLS.
"I expected the course to be great, but it was super great," said Housey. "We can't control the winds life throws at us, but we can control how we respond to them."
Joint Base Charleston currently has 18 individuals from the 628th ABW and the 437th Airlift Wing trained as MRTs, according to McMeekin.
"It's all on our [MRT] instructors," said Chief Master Sgt. Earl Hannon, 628th Air Base Wing command chief. "It's important for our instructors to help others buy into the training. The training is not suicide prevention - it's how to handle adversity."
Joint Base Charleston offers three open seating Resiliency Training classes a month, seating 25 students each. To register for a class visit the CoP:
https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/community/views/home.aspx?Filter=OO-ED-AM-39.