All for one, one look for all

  • Published
  • By Amy Ausley
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. --  Sometimes, being a good Wingman can get a little hairy.

Members of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Force Development Division got together on July 17, 2013, to demonstrate the Wingman concept in a big way. They all had their heads shaved in support of a fellow Airman who is dealing with cancer and the effects of chemotherapy.

When Chief Master Sgt. Trevor Shattuck saw what his co-worker Master Sgt. Marla Manyweathers was going through, he decided to take action.

"She's going through chemo [and] lost her hair, so a couple of the guys and I got together and we talked about going down to the barber shop and taking it all off," Shattuck said. "It didn't take much convincing. Some of the guys were almost already [bald], some of them had quite a bit of hair, but they were all on board."

The group works closely together on a daily basis. The force development division is part of AFCEC Tyndall Detachment's Operations Directorate. The division managers oversee the training and career development programs for Air Force civil engineers across eight career fields. They spend most of their day working together and the trip to the base barber shop shows how tight the bonds of Airmen can become.

Those bonds run deep and that's why the group sticks together in the good times and the bad, said Master Sgt. Eric Johnson.

"We're such a small family here in COF so it's really important to show we support her. It all came on so fast, I can only imagine what she's going through," Johnson said. "And it's hard for us too, to watch it, so it's just really important to show we support her."

Manyweathers was surprised when Shattuck approached her with the idea and she was moved by the show of solidarity from her co-workers.

"He asked me if it was okay if they did this to help support me and be a Wingman to me and I said yes," said Manyweathers. "Because I lost my hair from chemo, they got their hair cut to help support me. It's pretty amazing."

Everyone left with a lot less hair but with big smiles on their faces. The only thing brighter than the smiles of support was the glare from all those bald heads.