Incirlik Airmen come together for Storytellers III

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Daniel Phelps
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  On the evening of July 27, Airmen from across Incirlik gathered at the club complex to hear the stories of their fellow Airman for the third Incirlik Storytellers event.

The first Storytellers event occurred on Incirlik July 19, 2012. It was the brainchild of several members of the Incirlik Toastmasters Club, developed in response to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III's open-ended question: "Every Airman has a story. What's yours?"

The event has since spread to other installations across the Air Force.

The dim lights of the ballroom helped set the ambience for the personal stories of the night's speakers.

"It was perfect, the atmosphere really set the intimate tone for the evening," said Tech. Sgt. Sharlyne Walton, 39th Air Base Wing NCO in charge of knowledge operations management.

Four Airmen opened themselves to the audience, telling tales of grief and heartbreak and of finding one's place in life.

"This really shined a light on what people go through," Walton exclaimed. "You never know what the person you work right next to might have experienced in their life."

Several months of preparation were spent for the event to come together, preparing the orators and getting the set pieces, said Airman 1st Class Nicholas Crisp, American Forces Network-Incirlik broadcaster.

It took some time to get the storytellers comfortable and to guide them on how to handle themselves if they broke down while telling their story, he explained. They only had a few rehearsals so it was natural, and we didn't put any pressure on them.

The event came to be a liberating one for many in the audience.

"It was such a build-up of emotions," Walton said. "It makes you stop and think about the people around you. This was really eye-opening. We are impacted by the events in our life.""

Several audience members greeted the narrators after their stories with handshakes, hugs and words of thanks letting the storytellers know their shared stories meant more than they realized.

"Every story was greatly impacting," Walton said. "Hearing what they went through, and seeing how well they are doing now -- it lets people know they are not alone in their experiences."