Photo By Senior Airman Julia Lebens | From left to right, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gates Winder, a munitions controller;...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The 3rd Munitions Squadron’s Women of Wammo organization at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska is focused on helping women within Air Force munitions-related units and careers explore cultural challenges, develop solutions using survey input and small-group sessions, and build camaraderie locally and across the Air Force.
Women of Wammo are named in tribute to the 85,000 Women Ordnance Workers, or WOWs, who played an important historical role in developing the modern munition system’s processes and procedures during World War II.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Atadero, technical sergeants Arlin Verbinski and Cheyenne Eisenhart, and Senior Airman Gates Winder are some of the munitions Airmen who have worked alongside the 3rd MUNS Culture Working Group and the Arctic Women’s Mentoring Group to achieve similar goals of mentoring, community, and camaraderie.
“As a woman in maintenance, it can be tough to make your voice heard and get your needs met, especially as a junior member,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Atadero, the 3rd MUNS director of operations. “It takes hard-hitting senior airmen like Senior Airman Winder with big ideas, and strong non-commissioned officers like [technical sergeants] Eisenhart and Verbinski who are willing to take junior members under their wings and provide the direction and mentorship to make these changes happen…They have made a huge difference here in Alaska and their practices are being adopted career-field wide; everyone should know their names.”
The 3rd MUNS recently won the prestigious Maintenance Effectiveness Award for the Pacific Air Forces, and were recognized at the Headquarters Air Force level.
The 3rd MUNS is a contender for the Air Force's premier air-to-air superiority unit, with achievements such as playing an important role in the largest aerial movement of missiles since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989; a swift response to a presidential order in a historic action that resulted in the elimination of two unidentified aerial threats within 24 hours; and transportation of 3,000,000 munitions assets.
This squadron has been recognized as a high-caliber group by the U.S. Air Force, and some of its members attribute some of their success to support from the WOW group.
“Being part of WOW has had a profound impact on my experience in the Air Force,” said Winder, a munitions controller assigned to the 3rd MUNS. “It has provided me with a strong support system, which has been invaluable in navigating both professional and personal challenges. The mentorship opportunities within the group have allowed me to learn from experienced women who have faced similar situations, offering guidance and advice that have helped me grow. WOW has also empowered me to take on new challenges and pursue leadership roles with greater confidence. The sense of community and camaraderie within the group has made my Air Force journey much more fulfilling and less isolating.”
Using tools like annual Defense Organizational Climate Surveys and small-group sessions, members and mentors from Women of Wammo address common concerns and struggles within the squadron and career field.
“After this last DEOCs, we found a need for mentoring, community, and camaraderie amongst the women in our squadron who are the minority and usually geographically separated,” said Eisenhart, a resource advisor assigned to the 3rd MUNS. “We have faced similar struggles being the minority group of our career field and have been able to offer one another a safe place to discuss and mentor through the challenges and successes of our daily lives in weapons and ammo here at JBER.”
Working through these challenges presents opportunities for relationships and community for both men and women within the career field.
“Ammo offers a camaraderie that I haven’t seen in any other career field,” said Eisenhart. “You will have friends who are like family all over the world while also being challenged to learn and grow in a maintenance environment. As I see more groups like the WOW pop up, WAMMO has become a much more inclusive and diverse [career field], where anyone can succeed.”
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2024 13:16 |
| Story ID: | 480497 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The WOW Legacy: from WWII’s Women Ordnance Workers to JBER’s Women of Wammo, by SrA Julia Lebens, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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