Wingman at your side Published Dec. 13, 2016 By Lt. Col. David Linton 436th Aerial Port Squadron DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Have you really thought about what it means to be a "good" Wingman? An online dictionary defines Wingman as "someone who helps another through a difficult time." In the movie “Top Gun,” a victorious Iceman screamed to Maverick, "you could be my Wingman any time!" Maverick retorted "bull$&!#, you can be mine!" They were outnumbered and outgunned. They understood they couldn't individually beat a superior fighting force as individual pilots. The only way for them to win was to take the fight to the Russian MiGs as a team and they emerged victorious. The Army calls them Battle Buddies. We call them Wingmen. Are you deployed and going to chow? Take your Wingman for protection. Is it taco night at the dining facility? Take care of your Wingman and get three. Let's face it, Wingman is a hackneyed term that has lost much of its meaning and what it stands for to us as Airmen. It means different things to different people. I think of a Wingman as an individual member of a team, and as a collective, the power of the Wingman is in the group of people moving forward to complete a task they can't accomplish individually. QUALITIES OF A WINGMANWingmen are supportive. A Wingman, as an individual is an invaluable asset if you don't underestimate the value of finding one. A Wingman is that go-to person you can't do without. The one you vent to when times are tough; you just received a butt chewing from leadership and life isn't going so well. Being a good Wingman isn't just about providing an ear when someone wants to vent. While being a confidant is important, a Wingman transcends the individual person. A Wingman is committed to the team's safety and success. They look out for danger that could cause harm and make course corrections as appropriate. Take the aerial port load team for example, made up of a team chief and four Airmen. This five-person team is responsible for loading 10,000 pound pallets onto a $200 million dollar airplane without incident. At the Super Port, our highly trained teams do it dozens of times a day without thinking twice. However, one oversight could cause damage to the side rails, the aircraft floor, or worse, the life of an Airman. Every Wingman on that load team, from the team chief to the Airman who just graduated from Port Dawg University, is on constant danger watch. If danger is detected, they call it out and ensures the aircraft is loaded safely, effectively and everyone goes home with all their digits. Do they make mistakes? Yes! A Wingman learns from his mistake and prevents future occurrences by sharing his experience with the rest of the squadron.Wingmen are reliable. They are subject matter experts in their position and when you ask them a question, they know the answer and you trust what they say is true because they are proven leaders who have read the instructions and can quote them with confidence. Back to my aerial port load team example, individually, they are experts in their field; as a team, this carefully choreographed group of Wingmen load 390,000 pounds of cargo on a Boeing 747 in less time than it takes to watch a movie at the base theatre. Wingmen are accountable. When a mistake occurs, the Wingman accepts responsibility and answers for it. The Wingman holds the team to account if they see a teammate cut corners or take shortcuts because doing it the right way keeps everyone safe. Complacency leads to disaster, and one oversight can cause damage to the aircraft or worse, to the team. Wingmen call "time out" when they see an unsafe act being performed. An individual looks the other way; the Wingman recognizes the unsafe act, identifies it as a bad cultural norm, and stops it immediately. He holds his Wingmen accountable and corrects the offending behavior. Wingmen uphold high standards and encourages everyone around them to meet and exceed theirs. To accept subpar performance allows complacency to set in and is dangerous to everyone on the team. Wingmen are courageous. They step up when challenged and step in when there's danger. If a Wingman sees someone being taken advantage of at a drinking establishment, the Wingman steps in and prevents whatever nefarious deeds the perpetrator had in mind. They aren't afraid to step in and ask the hard questions when they hear one of their team talk about hurting themselves. They grab their fellow Wingman by the collar and vector them on an appropriate path if they veer off. CLOSING THOUGHTSWhile the term Wingman is overused, the idea of the Wingman is alive and well in our Air Force. The Wingman ensures the safe and successful mission of the team, whether it's loading 18 pallets on a C-17 Globemaster III or preparing box meals for Space Available passengers travelling on a flight to Europe. The success of the Eagle Wing's mission rests on our ability to be good Wingmen to our wing commander. While his shoulders are broad, he alone can't bear our weight. Are you a good Wingman? If you are on our team, you should be.