633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
8/22/2013 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- Langley Air Force Base hosted the "We are Family" reunion Aug. 16 at the Langley dormitory field as the final event of a 60-day campaign to bring awareness to sexual assault.
The campaign was created as a response to the Department of Defense-directed stand down day for all services to emphasize the importance of sexual assault prevention. As part of "We Are Family," the 633rd Air Base Wing organized various events to bolster wingman culture on Langley in an effort to eliminate sexual assaults.
"Here at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, there are so many different wings and mission partners and for the most part, everyone sticks to their own mission," said Chief Master Sgt. Trae King, 633rd ABW command chief. "We gathered people from all the different operations across the installation and involved them in the planning and events so that we would have participation throughout the base."
In addition to the reunion, different events were held during the campaign to create open lines of communication among Airmen, including an improvisational comedy presentation, a base retreat ceremony and a Single Airman Initiative block party.
"This campaign did a wonderful job of bringing awareness about sexual assault to the base," said Master Sgt. Eric Brown, 633rd Force Support Squadron Shellbank Fitness Center fitness and sports section chief, a volunteer at the reunion. "They involved everyone from the highest ranking to the lowest."
According to Chaplain (Capt.) Michael McDonald, 633rd ABW chaplain, these events fostered an environment where service members felt comfortable in reporting sexual assaults.
"Being able to hear personal experiences rather than statistics is important," he said. "The discussions that have come from these events have given service members the confidence to come forward."
As the final event of the "We Are Family" campaign, the reunion featured activities such as games, raffles, music from the Blue Aces, a mechanical bull, informational booths and inflatable party equipment.
Through these activities, the event helped to bring Airmen together in a way where everyone could view themselves as family, said James Murrell, 633rd FSS Community Center director, who helped organize the event.
"We are all on the same team and the people who are celebrating with us here today are the same people who have our backs out on the front lines," said Murrell. "Being able to identify them outside of a work environment builds camaraderie."
When reflecting on the campaign as a whole, King said the various events were successful in changing the wingman culture and bringing a feeling of closeness to the base.
"I feel our goals to raise awareness, prevent sexual assault and bring the installation together were accomplished," said King. "In doing that, we have created an atmosphere of family."
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