Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Ala. -- The Enlisted Advisory Council, or EAC, is an organization at the 117th Air Refueling Wing that allows members who are E-6 and below to make connections, find mentorship, career advice and insight into how things are being made better at the Wing.
The current leadership for the EAC is Tech. Sgt. Michael Palmer, president, Staff Sgt. Dora Hernandez, vice president, Staff Sgt. Aemelia Vandenberghe, treasurer, Senior Airman Lindsey Kramer, secretary and Senior Airman Akeem Dudley, deputy executive.
"The EAC is a committee of junior enlisted airmen and non-commissioned officers that come together to collaborate on collective ideas and events,” said Vandeberghe. “We hold events and meetings so that we can help improve the life of the junior enlisted and improve our installation as a whole.”
The EAC meets on Sunday of drill weekends at 1000 and membership is free. They go over changes happening within the Air National Guard, improvements to the Wing and invite guest speakers to share information beneficial to all members.
“You do not have to be an official to bring up an idea,” said Hernandez. “We are always open to comments, questions, suggestions or an idea for an event that the Wing would benefit from. We are always looking for that kind of involvement.”
They work with other organizations on base like the Chief’s Council, Top 3 and the first sergeants to host events to raise money to go towards improving the unit and participate in events off base as well. They always encourage participation among the younger enlisted because they make up the majority of the unit.
“We are the voice of the junior enlisted to the Wing Commander via the Wing Command Chief. As for the initial enlistees, they always have questions. We like to hear their questions, concerns and things that might be bugging them,” said Palmer. “More often than not, those of us running the EAC are able to answer those questions and resolve small issues at a lower level.”
Anyone interested in joining should feel free to reach out to the EAC leadership or attend a meeting on Sunday drill. The more people who get involved make a larger and more positive impact for the members of the unit.