Storytellers: Every Airman has a story

The Scott Air Force Base NCO Council recently held their second Storytellers event, where Airmen stationed at Scott told a personal story about a tough time in their life and what they did to overcome it.

Storytellers’ motto is, “Every Airman has a story.”

The purpose of the event is for individuals to open themselves up and share their inspirational story of perseverance and strength.

Examples of stories used in previous events were: Survivors of Sexual Assault, PTSD Sufferers, Substance Abuse Survivors, Overcoming Administrative Action, Health Issues and Becoming an American Citizen.

The Airmen shared inspirational stories such as Airman 1st Class Boniface Gikonyo, 635th Supply Chain Operations Group, who said, “I was born in Kenya, and I used to tell my wife every day that my dream was to take my kids to America for school.”

Another Airman provided words of motivation. Tech. Sgt. Ashley Fuehrer, Air Mobility Command, said, “About three years ago I almost lost my career over failing to complete portions of my PT test.

“During that time I was up for the quality force reduction board and had to save my career someway.”

One told a story on perseverance. Tech. Sgt. James Yates, 837th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, explained, “My wife and I had been trying to have a kid since 2011. Throughout that period we ended up having three miscarriages.”

The last was strength. Command Chief Benjamin Miranda, 635th Supply Chain Operations Wing, said, “My story starts on Feb. 18, 2016 ... that morning I visited my chiropractor for a routine check of my shoulder to later find out I was having a heart attack.

“Through the ordeal of that morning my life changed drastically, but I can honestly tell you that it was the support and the training that I received from the Air Force that saved my life.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Storytellers: Every Airman has a story."