Holly-Graham Comes to MHAFB

by Airman 1st Class Jeremy Mosier
366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/14/2014 - MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Airmen arrive to work out at the gym in the early hours of the morning with sleep still in their eyes. The first thing they hear when entering the front doors is, "hey you, come over here."

A new member of the Gunfighter family, Holly-Graham - a projected hologram - arrived here approximately two weeks ago to share her knowledge on healthy living.

"She definitely catches people's attention," said Tech. Sgt. Demetrius N. Long, the sports director at the Health and Wellness Center with the 366th Force Support Squadron.

Her first impression immediately draws individuals in to see she is nothing more than a hologram. When approached, she offers a number of options for gym visitors to improve their health.

"Holly-Graham is a motion activated system that came here with the intent to increase awareness of healthy eating, tobacco cessation, fitness and staying active," said Mark Tschampl, 366th Fighter Wing HAWC director and Healthy Base Initiative point of contact. "We hope she generates interest and brings those individuals to the HAWC so we can help them specifically."

Thanks to Mountain Home's leadership and Tschampl pushing to have a healthier base, MHAFB was selected to be part of HBI and the first Air Force base to receive Holly-Graham.

"The bottom-line is we have the leadership and personnel who want to make a change," said Tschampl. "As an isolated base we have higher health risks than other bases."

Holly-Graham brings something new to Mountain Home by being more verbal, visual and interactive than a brochure.

"It's more of an innovative way to catch people's attention," said Tschampl. "When we have a healthier population we're better able to accomplish the mission."

Holly-Graham not only gives individuals the means to accomplish the mission but also provides the tools for a higher quality of life through real-world examples. She gives facts about fruits and vegetables and healthy eating habits. Other facts she is able to give are the benefits of tobacco cessation by showing you an image of a smoker's brown lung compared to a non-smokers lung.

With the ability to peek one's interest, Holly-Graham is programmed to share the knowledge of many things giving service members and their families the drive to seek information on how to change their life.