MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Maxwell – Gunter Junior Enlisted Advisory Council and the Gunter First Four Council hosted the second leadership symposium directed specifically toward junior enlisted Airmen, April 24 -25, 2018, here.
The Junior Enlisted Airmen Leadership Symposium provided an opportunity for the base’s junior enlisted to receive both professional and personal advice and guidance from senior military and retired military mentors.
This year more than 60 junior enlisted Airmen from across the Maxwell – Gunter community attended the two-day event.
“These two days are absolutely all about you … make sure that you absorb all of this information, let us know what you like and what you don’t like and how we can further develop you,” said Chief Master Sgt. Erica Shipp, 42nd Air Base Wing command chief to open the event. “This is just another stepping stone. Some of you are still working on [Career Development Courses] and some of you may be testing for [staff sergeant] really soon and these are building blocks for you as future leaders, and we want you invested in that.”
This year the symposium featured 22 workshops and speakers. Covering topics such as financial management, current events/modern day military issues, education, a stripes-to-bars panel on commissioning opportunities, nutrition, assignments, base of preference, deployments, retraining and re-enlistments.
The goal of the workshops and speakers were to equip Airmen with the tools they need to be successful throughout their Air Force careers
The theme for this year’s two-day symposium was, “Arming Today’s Leaders for Tomorrow’s Fight.”
The symposium also featured two guest speakers, retired Chief Master Sgt. Juan Lewis and Tech. Sgt. Trevor Brewer.
Lewis retired from the Air Force in 2012, but continues to remains actively engaged with the Air Force community, specializing in the quality, morale and welfare of Airmen. His fervor for the subject has earned him the nickname of “Fired Up Chief.”
What I encourage all of you to do is to be ‘fired up,’ be motivated and be better you than you were yesterday,” said Lewis, who retired as the command chief for the 502nd Air Base Wing, Joint Base San Antonio.
The Airmen wrapped up their first day with a team-building exercise at Officer Training School’s high ropes course.
The second day guest speaker was Brewer, a Wounded Warrior ambassador, who shared his experience of a terrorist attack on himself and other Airmen.
In 2011, Brewer was aboard a bus with 14 of his fellow Airmen at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany when a gunman opened fire on them, killing two and injuring two others. Moments later, the gunman’s weapon jammed, and he fled the scene. Brewer ran after him and helped German police forces capture him.
Normally, the only opportunity junior enlisted Airmen have for professional development are the First-Term Airman Center class when they first arrive to their first duty stations and Airmen Leadership School, once they are ready to progress into supervisory positions.
The JEALS event allows Airmen in the grades airman basic through senior airman the opportunity for progressive training.
The idea for the symposium came from a similar program called the First-Term Airman Leadership Conference, known as FALCON, which started at Scott AFB, Illinois.
The event ended with Shipp speaking with the Airmen about any questions or concerns they had regarding the base and the Air Force as a whole.
The 42nd command chief said to the Airmen that she wants them to look within themselves to figure out what their goals are, regardless of whether they joined the Air Force for the education benefits or to travel, that they don’t sell themselves short of what they want in the long run.
“I want you to be a better you, whether you want to get out in these next couple years or whether you’re going to make it a career,” she said. “There are more than just intangible things that you can build upon to help you grow into a great individual.”