JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
What's your full name, job title and unit?
Airman 1st Class Wendy Villarreal, Military Justice Paralegal, 11 WG/JA aka. America’s Legal Office.
What's your hometown city and state (and country, if not U.S.)?
Murrieta, California
What has being in the military allowed you to do that you wouldn’t otherwise have done?
The military has given me the opportunity to serve my country.
What's the coolest thing you’ve done in the military?
Being present for the signing of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which gave birth to the Space Force. I also had the opportunity to work security alongside the Secret Service escorting designated visitors.
What hobbies do you have/what do you do in your spare time?
Depending on the season I like to garden, snowboard, hike and travel.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your life?
Being there for my family, after a close family member came forward with having suicidal ideations and depression.
What are two interesting facts about yourself?
I am a first generation Mexican American. I'm the first female in my family to join the military.
How has the outbreak effected your job?
Surprisingly, even though we are teleworking we have continued working as usual through innovative virtual means.
What are you doing to stay active during all of this?
I started to run outdoors, whereas before it was inside a gym. I also visit different state parks to hikes or go on walks. Most recently, as an office, we started to do daily hero workouts to honor fallen service members.
How have you stayed resilient during the COVID epidemic?
I appreciate what I have, there are many people out there who have lost a lot. Additionally, I established a new routine to help regulate teleworking from home.
Why is it important for Airmen to stay connected even during times of social distancing?
Some people may not be handling this as well as others. Checking in on each other, finding out how everything is going can go a long way for someone. At the end of the day, we are all in this together.
If you are teleworking, what are some things teleworking has helped with in your mission?
We have proven that we can accomplish most of the mission through teleworking. Virtual forums have helped us connect with many more individuals across the globe, whereas before we saw not having them in person as an obstacle.