Mind over matter, Gunfighters prepare for CAF day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Military service comes with unique stressors that may not be present in a civilian lifestyle, rigorous mission demands make it necessary to form a support system to help foster resiliency.

In an effort to assist Gunfighters, the 366th Fighter Wing is holding a Comprehensive Airmen's Fitness day Dec. 9.

"The purpose of CAF day, ultimately, is to promote a culture of resilience among all Airmen and civilians on base," said Scott Baker, 366th FW community support coordinator. "The objective is to get people talking together about behaviors that will directly and indirectly enhance overall readiness."

CAF day is designed to promote a sense of camaraderie within the squadrons and allow members to get to know one another in a safe, relaxed atmosphere.

The four pillars of CAF are mental, physical, social and spiritual. Each is designed to continually work together to support Airmen and their families.

"Comprehensive Airmen Fitness is crucial to the Wings mission because the day is about our people and their ability to fly, fight, and win," said Baker. "When we lean forward like this, we are working at prevention - prevention of behaviors inconsistent with our basic beliefs and goals. We are seeking to build upon our best habits and intentions."

Baker explained that the day is designed to be a basic foundation instilling in the Air Force culture a philosophy of equipping Airmen, civilians, and their families with resources to function effectively and thrive in a demanding military environment. This is an effort that will affect Air Force culture by building resilient Airmen through an emphasis on safety, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, and the four CAF resilience skills.

"This particular CAF day will highlight our growing resiliency training assistants as they will handle the entire teaching load," said Baker. "CAF day will be legendary when squadrons really engage in the scenarios and learning at the unit level, and when our Airmen begin to look forward to these days as a helpful step in their development as leaders."

Gen. Mike Hostage, Commander, Air Combat Command, stated, "First and foremost, we must continue to care for our Airmen and their families. At Air Combat Command, we've taken a proactive approach to increase Airmen resiliency through a culture of Comprehensive Airman Fitness."

After the discussions close and the presentations end, an afternoon of teambuilding and morale-boosting activities will began.

"By helping Airmen understand the application of CAF through interactive training and team-building activities, the training teaches Airmen to respond to life stressors," said Baker.


To learn more about the four pillars of resiliency, visit the MHAFB CAF resiliency page at http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/library/resiliencytraining.asp or Air Combat Command's CAF website at http://www.acc.af.mil/library/comprehensiveairmanfitness/index.asp.