MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Airmen established a Women Inspiring the Next Generations private organization chapter here May 26, 2021.
The organization, open to all active-duty, reserve, civilian and National Guard service members, was created to promote mentorship through social, cultural and recreational activities.
“We started the chapter for (Team Moody) to come together in a safe place outside of work, to discuss any concerns they have,” said Airman 1st Class Treasure Jones, 81st Fighter Squadron aviation resource management journeyman and president of the Moody WINGS chapter. “Whether it be personal or professional, we really want to have a safe place for growth, leadership and mentorship.”
WINGS was created at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea in 2013 but it didn’t take long for word to spread and other bases to create their own chapters.
“(The founders) got a lot of participation in their meetings and events at Osan, and decided they wanted to expand the organization across the Air Force as a whole,” Jones added. “They then started reaching out to people at different duty locations for chapters to develop Air Force Wide, and that’s when I got in touch with them to start one at Moody.”
Jones explained that while most of the members at Moody are women and junior enlisted (or rank from E-1 to E-4), her idea for hosting a charter at Moody is important for the encouragement of professional growth and leadership, independence, resiliency, and the positive outlook on each member’s military experience.
“Giving (people) the empowerment and the leadership skills needed for a strong leader, will set them up to be successful leaders,” Jones said. “I would say WINGS gives everyone an outlet to express and be themselves - it’s a way for members to gather together and feel like they can speak without judgment and understand they are not alone in their feelings and mostly what they feel is what others feel, too.”
The meetings are an open floor discussion for any and all members to share advice both personal and professional.
“I’ve had a lot of fun being a part of WINGS,” said Airman 1st Class Anna Millard, 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintainer. “The meetings and events help get me out of my house more. I have made friends there, and they have definitely helped me with military and life advice. I think some of the advice that I use day-to-day is telling myself that things will pass and it’s good to think about the future and not be too overwhelmed in the moment – some problems are not going to last forever.”
Jones explained each meeting has a unique topic for discussion.
“I’ll start the conversation, add background information, give my opinion on the topic, and then open up the floor for anyone to say or ask anything,” Jones said. “Every meeting I try to have something different to talk about and any Airmen attending the meetings, can expect it to be a safe place to talk.”
WINGS usually holds their monthly meetings at The SPOT every other Wednesday with an occasional event in between. The next meeting is projected to be on Feb. 9, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to noon.