Page 3 - Desert Lightning News August 2016

Desert Lightning News August 5, 2016 3

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Airman Nathan H. Barbour honorary commander, has been (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Nathan H. Barbour)
able to visit the base for events
355th Fighter Wing Public A airs that helped her better under- U.S. Airmen and civilians from the 355th Comptroller Squadron volunteer at the Food
stand the mission of the Air Bank of Southern Arizona, Ariz., in Tucson, July 14, 2016. They participated in a three hour
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR Force and its Airmen. volunteer shift, which involved sorting and boxing di erent kinds of nonperishable foods.
FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- An Air
Force base cannot function “Meeting the Airmen and volved sorting and boxing differ- commanders assigned to groups NEWS
properly or complete its mis- hearing their stories has been ent kinds of nonperishable foods. and squadrons at D-M. Any civic
sion effectively without public really cool and has definitely or business leader in the Tucson
trust and support from the lo- engaged me more with Davis- “I think it’s great for people area who is curious to learn more
cal community. e Honorary Monthan,” Daly said. “It made at the food bank to see how the about the military, are encouraged
Commander Program opens the me realize how strong these base supports us,” said Daly. to apply for the program.
door to good communication by people are to come and do what
allowing D-M and the Tucson, they do and do it away from their ere are currently 50 honorary
Arizona community to see how family; it has definitely given me
each other operate. a new respect.”

“ e program is used to con- Recently, Airmen and civilians
nect military organizations with from the 355th CPTS had the op-
community leaders so they can portunity to visit Daly’s operation,
have an awareness of what our the Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
mission is,” said Senior Master
Sgt. Lisa Azzoline, 355th Comp- “ is was a way for us to give back
troller Squadron superintendent. to her organization,” Azzoline said.
“ at way, they can go back out “We’re helping her and her organi-
into the community and advo- zation give back to the community.”
cate for us.”
ey participated in a three
Nicollette Daly, 355th CPTS hour volunteer shift, which in-

The mission essential factors of diversity and inclusion

Tech. Sgt. Erich B. Smith

162nd Wing Public A airs

TUCSON, Ariz. -- ough Air National Guardsmen wear the (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Sta . Sgt. Micah Hill)
same shade of green on their Airman Battle Uniforms or flight suits,
Chief Master Sgt. Jacinta Figueroa points to how variety is impor- Though Air National Guardsmen wear the same shade of green on their Airman Battle
tant when it comes to the mindset of the 162nd Wing Airman. Uniforms or ight suits, they come from many di erent backgrounds and walks of life.
Having a culturally diverse group of Airman gives the Arizona Air National Guard the
“You don’t want to color with the same crayon because every- ability to work and function in many di erent directions.
thing is going to look the same. You want a box of different colors -
because you want something to be bigger and brighter,” she said. “If rines, courtesy of the Navajo Code-Talkers.
everybody thinks the same, and processes information the same, “Our outside characteristics don’t tell the person that is inside,”
you are not going to get the bigger picture.”
Figueroa explained. “Somebody’s intelligence, thought process and
As an equal opportunity advisor for the 162nd Wing, Figueroa’s education level - all of that you can’t see by what is on the outside.”
position is not confined to processing complaints and handling al-
ternative dispute resolutions. She is in the people business, ensuring e Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, based out
that wing supervisors are able to effectively harness the talent un- of Patrick Air Force base in Florida, sets the guiding principles relat-
derneath them by fostering a spirit of diversity and inclusion - criti- ed to diversity and inclusion, with many of their special observance
cal elements needed for an effective, all-volunteer military force. posters and promotional items showcased at the 162nd Wing.

“It’s more than just about ‘checking the box,’” said Figueroa, who For Chief Master Sgt. Rose Mardula, human resources advisor
brings a civilian background on equal opportunity training to the wing. at the 162nd Wing, embracing diversity and inclusion is non-nego-
“ is is really about addressing issues and educating our Airman.” tiable when it comes to building future Air Force leaders.

Failure to initiate such an effort and simply ignoring workplace “ ose who don’t accept others who are different than they are
issues, she added, hampers production, quality and ultimately, the will struggle, and they will be left behind,” Mardula said. “We are
mission readiness factor of an Air Guard wing with a global reach. here to perform the mission, and in order to do that, we must have
a solid foundation of acceptance.”
But diversity and inclusion topics also involves embracing mem-
bers of different races and backgrounds, which as history has prov-
en, translates into American military achievements - as evident by
the number of enemy aircraft shot down by the Tuskegee Airmen,
or achieving communications dominance for World War II Ma-