Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Retired Maj. Darlean Basuedayva, a health promotion officer for the U.S. Army Public Health Center, performs a comedy routine at a club in Newport News, Va., April 14, 2016. Basuedayva’s performance was part of the Armed Services Arts Partnership, which provides military service members and veterans the opportunity to learn artistic skills from artists, art organizations and art students. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)Retired Maj. Darlean Basuedayva, a health promotion officer for the U.S. Army Public Health Center, performs a comedy routine at a club in Newport News, Va., April 14, 2016. Basuedayva’s performance was part of the Armed Services Arts Partnership, which provides military service members and veterans the opportunity to learn artistic skills from artists, art organizations and art students. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Retired Maj. Darlean Basuedayva, a health promotion officer for the U.S. Army Public Health Center, practices her comedy routine with fellow veterans during an Armed Services Arts Partnership comedy boot camp class at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., April 9, 2016.(U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)Retired Maj. Darlean Basuedayva, a health promotion officer for the U.S. Army Public Health Center, practices her comedy routine with fellow veterans during an Armed Services Arts Partnership comedy boot camp class at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., April 9, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Retired Airman builds bonds, resilience with comedic veteransPublished July 20, 2016
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard
                    
                    
                    633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS)  --**After 28 years of service, Maj. Darlean Basuedayva was selected for retirement during the 2011 U.S. Air Force reduction board.Basuedayva dreamed of commissioning since she was in grade school, and was crushed by the separation, she said. The Air Force was not only her ticket out of working in a factory or farm in Batesville, Mississippi, but it also ended up being the family that shaped her into who she is today.After nearly three decades immersed in military life, Basuedayva didn't know how to transition into the civilian lifestyle. She later met a group of fellow veterans in a comedy class who exposed her to life beyond being an Airman. Their testimonies helped her realize she could accomplish just as much in her new chapter in life as she had done before in the Air Force."The military was my life and I loved it. I had a mission or purpose to get up every day, and then all of a sudden it was gone," Basuedayva said. "It's somewhat depressing because you find yourself trying to figure out who you are."Basuedayva learned early on that resilience was the key to getting through this change. After all, seeing her grade school educated parents raise 13 children with a farmhand and custodial income showed her how to overcome challenges.To lift her spirits, Basuedayva started putting hours into something she has always excelled at -- fitness. She also began teaching spin classes on base, but she still felt she was missing a sense of camaraderie with service members.As an effort to reconnect with the military, Basuedayva, who now works as the health promotion officer for the U.S. Army Public Health Center, decided to join the Armed Services Arts Program comedy boot camp.She hoped the class would help her feel a part of something greater than herself just as she had in the military, but she didn't expect to find inspiration through her fellow veterans in the class."It has been really great to make a connection with the other veterans; to learn that they have other interests outside of the military and that rank doesn't define who they are," Basuedayva said. "They inspire me. Some of them are getting their Ph.D.s, doing art shows and all sorts of things that have nothing to do with the military."However, Basuedayva wasn't only participating to fill an empty space her retirement left behind. She was there to help others in her new comedy family, as well."Darlean became a part of the family," said Fred McKinnon, an ASAP comedy boot camp coach. "What I saw within Darlean was a voice to help someone. She was always great at giving positive feedback because she wanted everyone to do well. It was a beautiful thing to see."While the eight-week boot camp's focus was to teach and prepare veterans to perform a comedy act in front of a live audience, it served as much more for Basuedayva."If this has taught me nothing else, it has taught me that it's OK to reminisce about the great things that you have accomplished in the past, but it is just as important to look to what is still left to accomplish," she said. "This has given me more freedom to go out beyond the military and be as connected as I want to be."resilience 



comedy 



Joint Base Langley-Eustis 



AF family Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil