The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates at an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia, hosted a symposium to provide information to aspiring first sergeants, marking the first time this type of event occurred at a deployed location, according to a wing release. The first sergeant symposium took place on two non-consecutive days—July 27 and Aug. 3—states the Aug. 7 release. Nearly 55 airmen attended. The instructors were first sergeants who relied on their first-hand experiences to convey their points, states the release. “This was an amazing experience and it would be worth doing again,” said TSgt. Stephanie Foxx, the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron’s flight medical clinic noncommissioned officer in charge, who is deployed from Dyess AFB, Tex. He said it was helpful to hear how first sergeants “cope with difficult situations that may come up, like deaths and non-judicial punishment.” The symposium’s agenda touched on topics like first sergeant responsibilities, administrative paperwork, and domestic violence and sexual assault response. The stateside version of this symposium takes place over four consecutive days, but the wing’s high operations tempo necessitated a condensed version, according to the release. (379th AEW report by SrA. Benjamin Stratton)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.