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174th Director of Psychological Health Receives Recognition

  • Published
  • By Captain Greta Jackson
  • 174th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Hancock Field ANGB, Syracuse, NY --  The 174th Fighter Wing's Director of Psychological Health (WDPH), Mike Pettinelli, was recently recognized for his work during the annual Air National Guard (ANG) Psychological Health Professionals conference at McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, TN.

Mr. Pettinelli was presented with a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement for Region I, which covers the New England area of the United States. His achievement was for not only his ongoing leadership at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, but also for the assistance he has provided to other units within the region during their program implementation process.

Although Pettinelli has been in the position for a little more than a year, he was one of the first to be placed and is therefore one of the senior WDPHs and made himself available to support and assist his colleagues within the region. Pettinelli said, "I could not have done the job without the support of leadership. The recognition is more a reflection of my colleagues and team."

Although numerous topics were covered during the conference, the focus was on resiliency and the Community Action Information Board. While the 174th has a different mission set than most other ANG units because it flys continous combat missions using its MQ-9 Reaper remotey piloted aircraft from home station, there was no real difference in unit members' psychological needs. "Stress is stress and different peoples' bodies handle stress in different ways," Pettinelli said.

Mr. Pettinelli's office is co-located with other offices in the Hancock Field Joint Deployment Health and Wellness Center (J-HAWC), the first such center in the ANG. The J-HAWC serves as a centralized location where Airmen and their families can obtain needed services, information and skills to foster resiliency and wellness.