Airman helps friend using lessons from resiliency class

Published Dec. 5, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Jake Eckhardt
75th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Senior Airman Kayla Becker-Botero, 375th Force Support Squadron customer support technician, used her resiliency training skills to save her friend's life in March.

Her friend was involved in an abusive relationship with a woman he shared a daughter with.

"I noticed some signs that he was falling apart," Becker-Botero said. "He was getting angry a lot more. He got to the point where he didn't care about his career or who he hurt; it affected a lot of people around him.

"Without using his name, I reached out to leadership to get guidance on what to do to help him."

Soon after his daughter's first birthday, he broke down.

"I got a phone call from him," she said. "He is in the middle of a cornfield with a gun to his head--he completely broke down.

"I was terrified, because I didn't know what to say at first," she said. "I told him that regardless of the relationship between his girlfriend and him, he had an innocent daughter who loved him very much."

The senior airman came home early from her leave to talk to him and be there to support him. He stayed with her during that time, and she convinced him to get help.

"Getting help is nothing to be ashamed of, and it really helped him," she said. "Having a professional helped guide him, and he opened up and talked about his problems more."
He eventually separated from the Air Force and got out of the abusive relationship. He's moved on and now maintains a healthy relationship with his daughter.

"He's in a good place right now," she said. "I'm just glad I could be there to help him and be his friend."

(Editor's note: This article is part of a feature series on how military members and their families apply skills learned in base resilience course by Airman 1st Class Jacob Eckhardt.)