92nd ARW commander stresses importance of Wingman intervention Published March 22, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Jess Harvey Air Force Public Affairs Agency WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Wing Commanders' Guide was sent out to wing commanders recently and contains statistics, facts and talking points to help leaders encourage healthy conversations among their Airmen, which senior leaders say is paramount to eliminating sexual crimes in the Air Force. "Inspiring our Airmen to be good Wingmen is not just a worthy undertaking, it is a critical mission enabling task that has hope of one day creating an Air Force without sexual assault," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley. The Fairchild Sexual Assault Response Coordinator realizes the importance of Wingmen when it comes to preventing sexual assault. "I believe Wingmen are definitely a key in preventing this crime," said Jessica Bradshaw, Fairchild SARC. "We are here to help the victims of sexual assault by providing a safe, secure place for the victims, whether female or male, to start their recovery process, but the Wingmen may be in a position to intervene before we have a perpetrator or victim of sexual assault." The guide gives leaders the tools necessary to enhance their leadership styles, change the force's climate and environment, inspire community leadership, empower effective victim response efforts and enforce offender accountability standards. "America's Airmen deserve nothing less than our full devotion to eradicating the threatening behavior to their well being," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. "This crime threatens our people and for that reason alone, it is intolerable and incompatible with who and what we are." The 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, Col. Paul Guemmer, stressed to wing members the importance of the Wingman philosophy when it comes to preventing sexual assault. "It's absolutely vital that if a member of Team Fairchild sees sexual assault starting to occur, that they intervene, put an end to it and report it," Guemmer said. "We will not tolerate this crime happening here and I want all my Wingmen to know - don't let it happen." The Air Force's SAPR program also includes Sexual Assault Response Coordinator training and the bystander-intervention training programs. "Fairchild is in the process of completing Bystander Intervention Training which is mandatory for all military members and civilian employees who supervise military members," Bradshaw said. "Our training allows individuals regardless of rank to discuss their views and opinions regarding sexual assault which is never an easy or fun topic. It's interactive, includes vague statements people can decide if they agree with and scenarios that they have to determine if someone's actions are inappropriate and if they would intervene or not. This training allows people to voice their opinions and for others in the class to challenge opinions they do not agree with, which can lead to people possibly changing their views on sexual assault." Air Force leaders are focusing on community empowerment to enable Airmen to take care of fellow Airmen in eliminating sexual assault. "Empowering Airmen to intervene when their peers are in trouble is a key component of our training," explained Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy. "We want our Airmen to understand they can make a difference by recognizing when their Wingman is at risk for making a poor decision." Bystander intervention training was introduced in 2008 and the Air Force expects completion of this training for all Airmen by the end of June. If you witness sexual assault, call the Fairchild SARC office at 247-7272. [Scott King, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this article.]