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Kadena EO advisor embraces values

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachelle Coleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  "Good morning," she says as she greets the room full of Airmen newly assigned to Kadena. "Look atcha', so beautiful!"

Master Sgt. Tanya Wyatt, 18th Wing Equal Opportunity advisor, enjoys making people smile when she walks in a room, even if it is to give a briefing about the Air Force's policies on discrimination.

Armed with a smile and an outgoing personality, she not only promotes an environment free from personal, social or institutional barriers, but a positive atmosphere wherever she goes.

"Everywhere I go, everyone always talks about her energy," said Capt. Joshua Caragan, 18th Wing EO director. "When I first got here, I saw it firsthand. Wherever we went, I didn't know who she knew and who she didn't know because she reacted the same - same energy, same smile."

Born and raised in Lexington, Ky., her mother inspired her to be a positive influence, no matter the circumstance or how they looked.

"She is my rock," Wyatt said. "She's the one I grew up watching. She would give the shirt off her back for anybody. It didn't matter what the outside was."

She grew up in an environment where disparaging terms and discrimination was a part of life, the very things she now briefs people not to use. It inspired her that no matter what the situation was, her mother would help anyone who needed it, when they needed it.

"Watching her be good to people, made me be good to people," Wyatt said. "In turn, people see that and they come to you and I just started helping folks. I try to be like her, I always have tried to be like her."

Her boss can attest to that - upon arriving at Kadena, as his sponsor she greeted him with a fruit basket and a couple of items to help him settle in.

"I had never received such a warm welcome before," Caragan said.

As she also wanted to be like her older brother, a U.S. Marine, joining the military was always something she was interested in. Joining the junior reserve officer training corps in high school confirmed her decision to join the Air Force specifically.

"There was never that preparation for going to college," Wyatt sad. "Money-wise, it was either you're going to go into the military or you're going to be stuck in Kentucky."

She enlisted and initially joined the supply, or material management, career field.

"I enjoyed doing the job that I had," she said. "One thing about supply is that a lot of people think we're just kicking boxes all day long, but there were actually 30-40 different jobs that you had to know."

"I just loved learning something new every day," Wyatt added. Once she had her job "down pat," you couldn't tell her anything she didn't already know.

She said her success in her military career has been due to her leaders, even when she didn't understand why or what she was being nominated for.

"I've had multiple people throughout my career that have given me morsels of goodness, you know, that have helped me along the way," Wyatt said. "I would love to say that I did it on my own, (that) it's (been) all me, but I can't."

Wyatt reaches 15 years of service in July. Once she retires, she wants to focus on her children.

"I just wanna be momma and do arts and crafts," she joked.

In all seriousness, the EO advisor offered the following words of advice for Airmen and all people.

"Just be nice -- show kindness," she said. "Have a good attitude. I tell people all the time, sometimes you go through things in life. Separate your personal and professional life."