Spotlight!
Osan chapel develops rock solid resilience
By
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs December 22, 2023
Airman 1st Class Chase Verzaal
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs December 22, 2023
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Chase Verzaal ()
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The 51st Fighter Wing Chapel hosted a resilience building event at the Mountain Ground rock climbing gym in Dongtan-Daero, Republic of Korea, Dec. 15. 2023.
The event used rock climbing as a metaphorical comparison to life, and trained Airmen on how they could develop personal resilience to better handle challenges when dealing with relationships, setting goals and managing stress.
“The goal of this event was to build healthy and actionable resilience habits,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Travis Abt, 51st FW religious affairs Airman. “We also focused on how to build life skills through goal-setting, to maintain confidence through whatever challenge you might face.”
The event was organized by USAF Capt. John Choi, 51st FW chaplain and Abt as a result of their passion for rock climbing and their desire to develop a more resilient community throughout the wing.
“A wise chaplain once told me that anytime we can find the intersection where the needs of the Airmen meet our personal passions, something magical happens,” said Choi. “Rock climbing is an activity that I have loved for many years, and so I was excited to work with Abt to build a resiliency curriculum centered around it.”
The event was attended by Airmen from multiple base organizations, and emphasized the importance of the Chapel’s contributions to the Fight Tonight mission and to Osan’s Airmen.
“Building and teaching resilience is essential for the Fight Tonight mission at Osan,” said Choi. “Resiliency helps ground us, helps us remember our why, and helps us maintain focus amidst stress, hardship and the daily grind.”
Photo Caption: U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Mildreth Cordon-Gonzalez, 51st Comptroller Squadron and Wing Staff Agency resource advisor, reaches the top of a rock wall during a resilience building event at the Mountain Ground rock climbing gym in Dongtan-Daero, Republic of Korea, Dec. 15, 2023. Hosts from the 51st Fighter Wing Chapel taught a lesson that facilitated discussion and allowed the participants of the event to be exposed to different insights regarding how to build resilience in order to better serve the “Fight Tonight” mission.