139th News

139th Airlift Wing resiliency goes virtual

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Andrew Rivera
  • 139th Airlift Wing
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. --  The 139th Airlift Wing resiliency team hosted a Stress Resilience and Mitigating Burnout in COVID-19 virtual class here on Sept. 12, 2020.

The resiliency team’s objectives are to bring awareness to airmen who are struggling and experiencing burnout during these unprecedented times.

“Self care is actually selflessness,” said Maj. Jose Martinez, 139th Airlift Wing protestant chaplain. “If you take care of yourself, then you're able to take care of your wingman.”

Martinez said COVID has brought on many challenges for many airmen such as separating work life from home life while allowing time to care for themselves.

Martinez said, “There's been current studies showing that a lot of current mental and familial burnout is occurring because of the COVID-19 precautions such as social distancing, quarantine and shelter in place.”

Tech Sgt. Jonathan Redd, 241st Air Traffic Control Squadron airfields systems non-commissioned officer in charge, said, “You don't always see the hardships and the struggles that people are going through.”

The resiliency team has resources to aid airmen with their psychological wellbeing.

Redd said, “The wing has been extremely excellent with providing a lot of resiliency options and being very clear about how to access those in an efficient way for the airmen.”

These virtual classes are just a few ways the resiliency team shows their support for their airmen.

“We're going through this pandemic and trauma together, but life still goes on around us,” said Martinez. “So we still need to be mission ready and do what we need to do as members of the armed forces.”