AFSOC hosts Warrior C.A.R.E. Summit

Published May 2, 2016
By Staff Sgt. Melanie Holochwost
Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

SANDESTIN, Fla. -- Nearly 50 Air Commandos attended the Air Force Special Operations Command Warrior C.A.R.E. Summit April 25-29 with their families here.

“This was a time for our wounded, injured or ill members to relax, learn more about themselves, and grow and support one another as a family,” said Lisa Dunaway, AFSOC Warrior C.A.R.E. (Connection, Awareness, Resources, Endurance) program manager.

Jennifer Nelson attended the summit with her husband, retired Capt. Nathan Nelson, who was injured in a rocket blast two-and-a-half years ago in Afghanistan.

“This week we heard some amazing speakers talking about post-traumatic stress disorder and how to combat the invisible wounds of war,” she said. “It’s great for people to take part in summits like this. Everyone has a story to tell and everybody is going through something different.”

Nathan Nelson said he was grateful for the opportunity to attend.

“We got all the injured guys together and there was a sense of comradery,” he said. “Leadership was here to listen to our stories and hear some of the issues that have come up. And, they are really taking action on them.”

Under Secretary of the Air Force Lisa Disbrow attended the summit along with Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. Together, they announced their plan for an Airman for life program, which will take care of wounded, injured and ill members after they leave the service.

“The vice chief and I want to make sure Airmen who are separated or retired with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or another illness get what they need,” said Disbrow. “Our people are highly valued and appreciated. Airmen for life … that's what I want them to think.”

“This is personal for us,” Goldfein added. “I’m alive today because of others. This is a life-long commitment for us.”

Goldfein was forced to eject from his F-16 during Operation Allied Force after a surface-to-air missile exploded near his jet. He was rescued two hours later by a combat search-and-recovery team in an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter in Kosovo.

Goldfein said he knows how hard it is to navigate the “machine” or “system” of the Air Force.

“I could go to 15 different people and tell my story 15 times,” he explained. “Individuals can only fix parts of the problem. Nobody has the connective tissue, yet. We need to fix that.”

Goldfein thinks the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) initiative could be the amalgam the entire Air Force needs to effectively care for these warriors.

POTFF was designed to build and implement a holistic approach to address the pressure placed on the total force. This effort is based on the Special Operations Forces truth, that humans are more important than hardware, and is focused on preserving unit integrity, prolonging careers and ensuring readiness.

Another goal of the POTFF program is to place special emphasis on addressing the needs of impacted family members especially children. The summit included a roundtable with Disbrow and Goldfein, where children shared their experiences coping with deployed (and injured) family members.

Hunter Friedman, 8, son of Maj. Damon Friedman, shared his feelings after learning his father was injured.

“I was really worried at first that my dad wasn’t going to be able to throw the football with me or what he was going to be like when he got back,” he said. “Nobody really told me how he was going to be, and I felt very isolated until I saw him again.”

The POTFF program is just first step of making sure that Air Force injured in combat are treated like ‘Airmen for Life.’

“If we are going to get at this, we’re going to get at it in a way that is enduring,” said Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, AFSOC commander. “Part of the magic of POTFF is the personal touch.”

The general made it clear that it’s important to talk about the little things in life.

“The little things do matter,” he said during the summit. “What we do is extraordinary. Nobody in this room is ordinary. We appreciate the sacrifices that you make every day. We care deeply for you, first and foremost.”

In addition to several keynote speakers, local and professional leaders led break-out sessions on topics including intimacy, finances, medical care, resiliency and sleep.