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Airmen complete Laughlin's first AmnPES

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Maysonet
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Fifteen Laughlin airmen completed Team XL's first Airmen Professional Enhancement Seminar here June 20 and 21.

Developed for airmen who have at least one year time in service and have not attended Airman Leadership School, AmnPES is designed to further develop airmen's knowledge of the Professional Development Guide while increasing their understanding of their role in the wing's mission.

"This seminar is for the middle, and often forgotten, airmen," said Master Sgt. Timothy Megenhardt, 47th Force Support Squadron career assistance supervisor and AmnPES coordinator. "Before ALS, AmnPES gives developing airmen a chance to network with other airmen and to reinforce key skills and Air force knowledge."

The Airmen Professional Enhancement Seminar is not new and has been used at other bases in the past, but this recently completed class marks Laughlin's first attempt at creating its own professional enhancement seminar.

"I've seen this program used successfully at a lot of other bases," said Chief Master Sgt. Garry Berry, 47th Flying Training Wing command chief. "The program is about interaction with fellow airmen not watching PowerPoint. The idea is to refine some of the tools and experiences our airmen have to prepare them for ALS and beyond."

The two-day seminar was broken into several sessions: NCO panel, resiliency training, first sergeants panel, finance education, air expeditionary forces, reenlistments, social media, chief's panel and education benefits.

During many of the sessions, the attending airmen spoke directly with senior enlisted
members and were given additional insight into what it means to serve in today's Air Force.

"Airmen today are much smarter because of how connected our world is," said Chief Master Sgt. Shane Maupin, 47th Mission Support Group superintendent. "We depend more and more on our airmen today than ever before. It used to be that each airman had their role and if they weren't doing it they were doing busy work such as painting or cleaning something. Today you do so much for the mission."

In addition to the classroom instruction, the seminar offered the airmen a chance to step out of their work centers and visit other workplaces on base.

"I have always had a desire to learn about all the various jobs in the Air force and here on base," said Airman 1st Class Jamesha Reed-Saxton, 47th Communications Squadron airfield systems technician. "The work center tours were eye-opening and answered a lot of questions. I enjoyed having the chance to see various shops on base and getting to see how they come together to compliment the Air Force as a whole."

For Senior Airman Javier Moreno, 47th FTW Precision Measurement and Equipment Laboratory scheduler, AmnPES was a useful tool in preparing him for the future.

"It was great getting to hear straight from the chiefs and first sergeants what is expected of us as airmen and future leaders," said Moreno. "They explained not only how to meet those expectations, but how to exceed them."

More classes are being planned to provide Laughlin airmen with the facts and knowledge needed to succeed in their Air Force careers.

"We developed this program to be useful, to help walk our airmen through key topics and tools useful to their careers," said Berry. "We wanted to give them the opportunity to meet and to understand how each of them plays a part in the base's operation. This program will make everyone involved a better leader, and we are all leaders in some form."