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Faith, Family, Friends

Col. Rodney Lewis, 319th Air Base Wing commander, discusses the importance of faith, family and friends with Warriors of the North during a commander’s call for the Spiritual Wingman Day on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Dec. 10, 2015. Lewis stressed the importance of having faith in each other as the holiday season begins. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Bonnie Grantham/released)

Zombie Morality

Chaplain (Capt.) Thomas West, 319th Air Base Wing chaplain, leads the “Walking with the Dead” seminar during Spiritual Wingman Day on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Dec. 10, 2015. During the seminar, West used zombies to discuss the topics of morality, mortality and humanity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Grantham/released)

Namaste

Marissa Mihelich, certified yoga instructor for New Love Yoga, leads Warriors of the North through a beginner yoga session for Spiritual Wingman Day on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Dec. 10, 2015. The spiritual pillar is one of four pillars that make up the Comprehensive Airman Fitness program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Bonnie Grantham/released)

Wingman Day: Focusing on the mind, body and soul

Published Dec. 11, 2015
By Senior Airman Bonnie Grantham
319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Airmen and their families at here took time out of their schedules to focus on their spiritual needs during the annual Spiritual Wingman Day Dec. 10, 2015.

The spiritual pillar is one of four pillars that make up the Comprehensive Airman Fitness, a program dedicated to help Airmen, Air Force civilians and family members become more resilient and better-equipped to deal with the rigors of military life. The pillars are broken down into physical, mental, social and spiritual domains.

"How would you from your experience and faith define spirituality?" said Chaplain (Capt.) Thomas West, 319th Air Base Wing chaplain. "Spirituality deals with a connection of the body, mind and soul."

A commander's call kicked the day off and included a brief from the 319th Medical Support Squadron Mental Health team about suicide prevention as well as comments from West and Col. Rodney Lewis, 319th Air Base Wing commander.

"It's about having faith in your unit leadership, family and friends," Lewis said. "Some wingmen may need extra support during this holiday season."

Wingman Day was broken down into four sessions throughout the day, with four different seminars and three movies to choose from in each session. The movies and seminars were separated into two categories: religious and non-religious.

Since the day was about getting in touch with one's own spirituality, a beginner's yoga class was offered for the "mind, body and soul".

Marissa Mihelich, a certified instructor for New Love Yoga in Grand Forks, has practiced yoga for nine years.

"Yoga allowed me to center myself and allowed me to listen to me," Mihelich said. "It gave me discipline and allowed me to find where my light was and my greater good and what my purpose is in life."

Mihelich spoke about what spirituality means to her.

"Spirit is how you carry your body and how you project things to other people," she said. "It's, in all sense, our whole being."

Master Sgt. Tiffany Kuczkowski, 319th Air Base Wing commander's action group superintendent, attended the yoga session and provided her thoughts on the day.

"I absolutely loved Spiritual Wingman Day," Kuczkowski said. "I feel the day was needed and valued especially with the ongoing activities going on throughout the world right now."