Master Sgt. David Hannon, 36th Wing Equal Opportunity noncommissioned officer in charge, poses for a photo at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sept. 6, 2024. Hannon is one of the first Airmen to sign up for Andersen’s new peer-to-peer resiliency initiative, the Sentinel Program. Issues ranging from car issues to long distance relationships problems, the Sentinel Program’s goal is to create a larger, more clearer support web for Airmen here on the Forward Edge. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Pedro Tenorio)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Asking for help can be hard sometimes, but what if someone was wearing a sign that says “YOU CAN ASK ME” … would it be so hard then?
That question is what Andersen’s new peer-to-peer initiative, the Sentinel Program, is trying to answer.
The Sentinel Program is basically this - if you are on Andersen AFB and see an Airman with a Sentinel patch or a Civilian with a Sentinel lanyard, they are signaling to you that they are equipped, prepared and willing to help anyone who has an issue.
Issues ranging from used car problems to difficulty adjusting to a long distance relationships to issues much, much, deeper, the goal of the Sentinel Program is to create clearer, larger web of support for those who live and work on the Forward Edge.
“We are peer-to-peer,” said Mark Calvo, 36th Wing resilience program manager/prevention coordination specialist. “It means we can have someone to confide in or go to for help at our level. This is an extension, another cog in the wheel for unit resiliency and personal resiliency for Airmen and Family members.”
To be very clear, the Sentinel Program is not a replacement for key agencies or the chain of command. Calvo said that Sentinels act more like bastions of resilience spread out throughout base that Airmen who might be having issues can easily reach out to, whether they are looking for a Sentinel or just happen to bump into one at the gas station.
However, some issues are out of the scope of the Sentinels. In this case, the Airman who needs help will be directed to the appropriate agency so that they can get professional help. In the ideal scenarios though, the Sentinels will see through the whole process of providing support for their Wingmen in need. Using their Sentinel training, their personal support network and recalling personal experiences to help.
“We have roughly 300+ defenders and our job requires us to be mentally sound,” said SSgt Anthony Barfield, 36th Security Forces Squadron base defense operations center controller. “We don’t want to overload our commanding officer and First Sgt. [Our fellow defenders] could just come to us [Sentinels], and we will gladly sit down with them and find solutions.”
Barfield also brought up the point that for some Airmen, it can be stressful to go straight to someone high-ranking asking for something. Some people prefer peer-to-peer, rank-to-rank especially for certain issues. This Sentinel patch signals to everyone without a doubt, that you are an Airmen in the Squadron that is easy to approach and talk to.
Asking for help is really the biggest hurdle for some people. Help is also a vague word when you think about it. It could be used for both “help pick my cat up” and “help save my life.”
Calvo said it is everyone’s job to look out for their Wingmen that are in serious peril, but he said he feels for the Airmen who are dealing with the “small” things as well. For those “small” things can pile up and bring an Airman to that “serious peril” level. The wish of Team Andersen is for the Sentinels to be the peers that are unabashedly looking out for those Wingmen who have a problem, no matter how big or small, no matter how obvious or obscure.
“We hope to have touch points all around the Airmen and their family members,” said Calvo. “Where it’s not [the resiliency office] making a difference or just the Master Resilience Training Assistants, its Joe or Joanne that’s gonna ask ‘hey, are you ok?’”
There are many challenges in the Military, but the Military trains you to roll with the punches and push through the storm.
Calvo, who is also an Army Veteran, said “in this business we’re trained to adapt fast. We’re supposed to be kings of chaos. We gotta be positive in the chaos.”
BUT - he also said you don’t have to be alone in that chaos. With the Sentinels, there are now Airmen outwardly projecting that they can be there for you.
“It opens up so many avenues for those out there who are seeking someone who will listen,” Brenda Manzana, 36th Medical Group clinical quality risk accreditation and credential privileging specialist. “Even at the commissary, I can come to Barfield and go ‘I dont know you, but I see that you wear the Sentinel patch.’ I’ll feel comfortable, because I won’t feel like he’s judging me. We want people to know that there’s a program with people readily available.”
Now that the concept of the Sentinel program has been (hopefully) explained. Let’s talk about how Sentinels are made.
So far, the current Sentinels around base have to be Resilience Training Assistants (RTAs.) To become one of those, Airmen will take a separate course that is also with the Resilience Program office. After that training, RTAs are given the option to attend a half-day training for the Sentinel program. Once that is completed, Airmen are now both RTAs and fully fledged members of the new peer-to-peer program. They are given their Sentinel tabs and are most likely asked by at least one person “what that patch means?” before the end of the day.
Becoming the ultimate Wingman on Andersen does not end there though. The schedule is still not official, but Calvo plans to have monthly trainings for Sentinels, having both one-hour refresher sessions as well as two-day workshops with professional guest speakers.
Calvo said the most important part of these supplemental trainings will be the time allotted for the Sentinels to break out into discussion groups with the topic being the real Airmen (names withheld) that they worked with and allowing Sentinels to share what works and what doesn’t. This time will also allow for Sentinels to bring up alarming trends on the rise (i.e. alcohol related incidents on the rise.)
All this definitely sounds awesome. Andersen is the best base, but to be clear, peer-to-peer programs are not new to the Air Force and current Squadrons might already have a healthy support network that does all the above already. However, what separates this program from others is that Sentinel patch on their shoulders. An indicator that signals to everyone with an issue that you truly care.
Calvo said even asking your closest friend how they are doing with in terms of physical health, emotional health, social health or spiritual health (Four Pillars of Mental Health) could be a bit weird. It’s also a leap of faith to make judgements like ‘hey, I saw that you’re lacking social health!’ With the Sentinel patch in view, however, it solidifies the dynamic of ‘hey, I am looking out for you.’
Finally to end the story, we want to give credit to our friends in the Royal Canadian Air Force as this program is inspired by their program with the exact same name.
“I’d like to say I came up with it, but I didn’t,” said Calvo. “Senior Master Sergeant Collip, he’s the senior enlisted leader for the 736th security forces. He brought the program after seeing it work while deployed out in the middle east with the Canadian Air Force. They had Sentinels present and he asked about it. He saw it in play. He saw how helpful it was in a deployed area.”
For those interested in joining the Sentinel Program. Please stay tuned for more information from Mr. Mark Calvo on internal channels.
