# News

## U.S. Air Force LogoUnited States Air Force

# AMC builds Warrior Heart culture

              - Published  April 24, 2023
              -                             By Lindsey Wilkinson                                                    
              - Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

**MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  **
On Jan. 28, 2022, **Gen. Mike Minihan**, commander for **Air Mobility Command**, posted a **tweet** with four simple words along with a screenshot of a mental health appointment on his calendar: *Warrior Heart. No Stigma*. From that moment on, "Warrior Heart" became the mantra for a culture focused on fine tuning the mind, body, and craft to fortify the will to win.

That was the focus during the opening days of Spring Phoenix Rally held at **MacDill Air Force Base**, April 17-21. More than 250 total force mobility leaders and spouses spent two days discussing ideas and ongoing efforts that bring the mind into balance with body and craft.

“Warrior Heart is not a program, but rather, about our climate and our culture,” Minihan said. He stated his three objectives to helping Airmen put their mental health on equal footing with physical fitness and honing their craft: eliminate stigma, lower barriers and increase access and options.

Col. Derek Salmi, **60th Air Mobility Wing** commander, led a discussion that looked at warrior culture with a variety of different lenses, including sports, literature and spirituality, as well as highlighting internal efforts at all echelons to get after the commander’s objectives.

Salmi highlighted retired Navy Capt. Charlie Plumb, a **Vietnam War prisoner of war** who spent 2,337 days in the Hanoi Hilton after being shot down on his 75th mission. According to Plumb, post-conflict surveys showed signs of post-traumatic stress in about a third of Vietnam veterans, while PTS among former POWs was only between four and eight percent, dramatically lower despite everything they endured.

“Captain Plumb attributed that to one thing,” Salmi said. “The leadership that was in the Hanoi Hilton and the fact that they set the conditions, set the focus and embodied what Warrior Heart is. Leadership matters.”

Coach Scott Davenport, head coach of the Bellarmine University men’s basketball team, discussed his approach to building a winning culture, which include pressure on and off the court.

“We have a saying in our program that preparation is going to lead to confidence,” Davenport said. “But at the end of the day when they leave that huddle, who do they have? Each other. They don’t have us, they have each other.”

People need to plan academically, athletically and socially to build a winning culture, he said. It is about being a part of something bigger than oneself and wanting it for others.

He also urged everyone to never delay gratitude. “It takes 1.8 seconds to say, ‘Thank you,” Davenport said.

Following Davenport’s speech, several wing commanders highlighted initiatives at their own bases including Operational Support Teams at **Little Rock AFB** focused on embedded support and care within at risk squadrons; the White Rope program at **Dover AFB**, which is a continuation of a support program typically seen at basic military training and technical schools; **Vance AFB’s** Comprehensive Readiness for Aircrew Flying Training facility, a human performance lab that includes cognitive and nutrition specialists; and **Travis AFB’s** Mind Gym and Comprehensive Airmen Fitness Madness Challenge, which funds quality of life upgrades in the dorms, work facilities and fitness areas.

It was a small sampling of ongoing initiatives across the mobility Air Force, but the roundtable allowed for crosstalk and information sharing in order to fuel mind, body and craft together.

AMC’s Command Chaplain (Col.) Mike Newton focused on the will, which he defined as the choice to act, having a clear purpose behind the action, and the beliefs, principles and values guiding you.

Essentially, it is about the ability to lead and control one’s life, Newton said. “And those components need to be active whenever an Airman needs to access them. Sometimes by making it too easy or soft, we take away the options they need to execute.”

He emphasized the need for putting Airmen into ‘a productive struggle and a growth zone’ by starting with a challenging standard or objective, a sense of motivation, sources of support, and accountability that, over time, yields a belief that success is the result of effort more than raw talent.

Retired Lt. Col. Jeff Ulmer, a former KC-10 pilot and instructor at the **U.S. Air Force Academy**, built on Newton’s remarks by using poetry from past conflicts to bring into sharp focus the reality of war including despair, suffering, betrayal, moral ambiguity and death. 

“However, when the leaders I’ve served with are able to give you the truth, to show you what it is and they still ask you to do it, then it’s probably worth fighting for,” Ulmer said. “And if you’re still willing to do it, then you’re probably the right person for the job.”

Capt. Jane Marlow, Phoenix Torch fellow, closed the discussion by presenting her cross-functional team’s leadership approach to building Warrior Airmen.

“Our leaders, systems and policies are not prepared to effectively leverage our most critical combat asset—our Airmen,” Marlow said.

Through a detailed review of **Air Force Instructions**, Marlow’s cross-functional team identified policies that don’t match current research and modern standards for care that harm Airmen’s careers when they do what they’ve been urged—ask for help.

Her approach includes three lines of effort: Pathways to Care, Regulatory and Policy Updates and Building and Strengthening Command Teams.

Pathways to Care focuses on education informing Airmen and supervisors about first-tier care options, such as **Military One Source**, **Military and Family Life Counseling**, peer counseling and group therapy that can ease demand from strained mental health clinics.

Regulatory and Policy Updates focuses on outdated policies and antiquated waiting periods that do not match current medical guidance. In some cases, these policies are preventing Airmen from returning to duty despite medical professionals certifying them mentally fit.

“These waiting periods are very unique to mental health and are not based in robust science or data—they’re based in the ways we’ve always done it,” Marlow said. “This is an example of a myriad of regulations and policies that are woefully out of date, that are limiting our ability to field Warrior Airmen and forcing our command teams, mental health providers and flight surgeons to expend incredible amounts of energy fighting a system and a policy rather than fighting our adversary.”

Building and Strengthening Command Teams recognizes the importance of being led by the best. This requires commanders to know who they are and how they lead. Marlow also stressed providing leaders with regular access to mental health care during stressful periods, which provides knowledge of their Airmen’s experiences and allows leaders to set a the example.

AMC has contracted experts in mindfulness, self-care and resiliency who will focus on wing- and squadron-level support. These experts will soon work with wing command teams to develop presentations, workshops and exercises that aim to help Airmen “lead and win at life.”

Minihan closed the discussion by emphasizing what matters most when it comes to culture change and support for Airmen.

“At the end of the day, no matter what program we roll out, no matter how much money we spend, it’ll never, ever, ever substitute for supervision and command when it comes to what our Airmen need.”

Phoenix RallyWarrior Hearttotal forceAFUSAFAir ForceAir Mobility CommandAMCresilienceMental healthcomprehensive airmen fitnessSpring Phoenix RallyWarrior AirmenMike Minihan

#             Related Links        

-  Air Force Resilience 
-  Military OneSource 
-  American POWs in Vietnam