KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Service members and civilians from across Keesler Air Force Base and beyond gathered here for the third annual LEAD-a-Thon, a two-day leadership development event hosted by Dragon University, May 29–30.
“LEAD-a-Thon is designed to develop air-minded warriors across Keesler’s Total Force,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Richard King, 81st Training Wing professional development advisor and LEAD-a-Thon project officer. “This year, we’re uniting all five wings under Second Air Force through a [virtual teleconference], reaching more than 35,000 non-prior service members, permanent party, civilians and dependents across 265 Air Force Specialty Codes.”
Designed to strengthen leadership, readiness and resilience, LEAD-a-Thon focused on preparing Airmen for the challenges of today’s strategic environment, aligning with the Second Air Force priority of developing air-minded warfighters.
“This event checks the box for both developing Airmen and advancing our strategic priorities,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Baca, 334th Training Squadron distance learning manager and LEAD-a-Thon event lead. “It’s about making sure Airmen are well trained, well led and resilient, and both days of LEAD-a-Thon tie into that vision.”
Day one included sessions covering the high-end fight, leadership perspectives, civilian initiatives, and commander key support programs. These sessions empowered participants to better understand their role from the tactical to strategic level and provided them tools for personal and professional growth.
“We do a good job of developing Airmen at specific points, but over a 20-year career, there are only so many days of professional development built in,” Baca explained. “That’s why it’s so important we create opportunities like this.”
The second day, Warrior Day, involved hands-on training comprising a variety of realistic and evolving tactical scenarios. Personnel enhanced their lethality through the execution of weapons tactics, reaction to enemy contact, land navigation, casualty and medical care, as well as fire-attack operations. Participants earned the Dragon University Warrior Patch upon completion.
“Warrior Day enhances our air-minded warrior capabilities through realistic, evolving scenarios,” said Master Sgt. Cecily Amonett, 81st Security Forces Squadron and Warrior Day lead. “These exercises reinforce a warrior mindset and help develop agile, resilient and innovative Airmen who can win in the most challenging combat environments.”
This iteration of Warrior Day also included contributions from the base fire department, independent duty medical technicians and physical therapy staff, with participation from Marines assigned to Keesler’s Marine Detachment, bringing a joint-force perspective to the event.
“Warrior Day is constantly evolving,” Amonett added. “This time around, we expanded with even more partners across the base. It was a true team effort.”
Event planning integrated representatives from across the installation, including the 81st Medical Group, 81st Logistics Readiness Squadron, 81st TRW Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce, 81st TRW Equal Opportunity, 81st Communications Squadron, 81st TRW Legal and more, demonstrating unity of effort in strengthening Keesler’s force.
Reflecting on the event’s broader impact, King emphasized the urgency of the moment. “We’re no longer developing tomorrow’s Airmen. We’re preparing Airmen who need to be ready to fight tonight.”