An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Airmen Helping Airman connects new Airmen to NCO's, base

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Veronica McMahon
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When Airmen new to the Air Force arrive at Tyndall Air Force Base to start the next segment of their life in the operational Air Force, they find themselves in a new environment surrounded by the famous, white sand beaches of Nothwest Florida. While there are many smiling faces at Tyndall, sometimes Airmen don't know who to turn to with questions, concerns, or even for help if they encounter trouble.

This is when Airmen Helping Airmen comes to the rescue. Airmen Helping Airmen is a new program designed to reach out to Airmen who arrive on Tyndall straight from technical school and live in the dormatories. The purpose of the program is to provide a bridge between the time a new Airman arrives on station and when they report to their duty section for the first time.

The idea of AHA originated when Sexual Assault Response Coordinator representatives and Col. Bradley McCoy, 325th Fighter Wing vice commander, attended an annual sexual assault summit in Washington D.C. Some of the stories inspired them to begin a program to help new Airmen when they first arrive on base.

"We noticed a gap between the Airmen arriving at their new Air Force location and having a peer group," said Phylista Dudzinski, 325th FW SARC representative. "We wanted to bridge the gap so Airmen knew who they could reach out to."

Focus 56, a base organization comprised of Airmen in the ranks of E-5 and E-6, became the umbrella for this program, and AHA became a subcommittee of Focus 56. Staff Sgt. Donna Krisko, 372nd Training Squadron instructor and Tech. Sgt. Timothy Krisko, First Term Airmen Center instructor, became the program managers for AHA and kicked it off with the help of a few volunteers.

Every volunteer has an on-call phone and there is a male and a female representative on-call every week. Every volunteer goes through training from the SARC and AHA representatives about how to handle certain phone calls regarding issues such as suicide, sexual abuse and knowledge of what agency to direct Airmen to if they need additional help with something.

Currently, more than 20 volunteers are helping Airmen regularly. An AHA representative also attends the dorm manager briefings every Wednesday to brief the new residents about the program and offer them all the appropriate phone numbers if they need them.

"The program tells you who you can talk to if you have any problems," said Airman Nikki Stibick, 325th Air Control Squadron pilot simulator technician and new Airman to Tyndall. "I thought it was helpful because the sergeant who spoke with me was very down to earth and I would feel comfortable calling her if I needed help."

The Airmen are given the phone number of the AHA on-call phone as soon as they get to Tyndall and are required to call within two hours of arriving on station.

"It was a great introduction to the base," said Airman 1st Class Amber Davis, 325th Comptroller Squadron travel technician. "I was required to call the AHA phone number within a few hours and it was one of the first contacts I had. The sergeant gave me details about where to go and what to watch out for; the program is very helpful."

For more information regarding the program or to reach an AHA representative, call 630-2337.