by Tech. Sgt. Nadine Barclay
432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Win Public Affairs
8/31/2015 - CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada --
For many women, the daily grind of military life can sometimes take its
toll, leaving some feeling like they could use a day to get pampered;
however, looking like a million bucks often comes at a cost not everyone
can afford.
But that is where the Las Vegas USO has stepped in, providing a day of appreciation for the women who sacrifice every day.
More than 800 Nellis and Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, active-duty
females, spouses, and teenage daughters were treated like royalty as
they participated in the 2015 Operation That's My Dress event Aug.
29-30, 2015.
"This event was astonishing," said Col. James Chittenden, 432nd
Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander. "It was beyond any of
our Airmen and their families' wildest dreams."
About 1,500 dresses valued between $450 and $1,200, were available for
ladies to choose from, and each participant was allowed to take one
dress home for free.
The day's event began with complementary hair and makeup sessions in preparation for the main event.
"The USO brought the New York runway to the families of Nellis and
Creech," said Chittenden. "It was great to see all the smiling faces
walking around."
Airmen and their families were wowed by the USO Show Troupe as they
performed a song and dance routine while 25 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA
titleholders modeled a selection of dresses donated by designer Sherri
Hill, the event's primary sponsor.
After the show, participants were assigned numbers for dress selection
and partnered with one of the pageant contestants, where they then
received fashion advice and had help picking out a dress.
"It was really cool to have her [Miss USA] help me pick a dress," said
Paulina Hernandez, 15, stepdaughter of Staff Sgt. Armando Irizary, 820th
Red Horse Squadron, Nellis AFB.
The day served as a huge thank-you from local sponsors, and it was also
an opportunity for families and members to meet people facing similar
situations.
"It was really cool to see women of every rank from airman first class
to commanders' wives here enjoying the event," said Kate Slawski, USO
Las Vegas program director. "Especially for our Creech families, we had
women carpooling and making new friends, which is important when these
women need a support system."
In addition to the moms and daughters in attendance, dads were welcomed
too. The event also featured U.S. Army, Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, Medal of
Honor recipient.
"This is my second time doing this incredible event, and I'm always so
impressed with everyone," said Olivia Jordan, 2015 Miss USA. "These
service women and the families are American heroes and deserve to be
treated as such."
Slawski said the event is another way to remind military families that they always have the support of the USO.
by Staff Sgt. Debbie Lockhart
50th Space Wing Public Affairs
8/11/2015 - ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Eight
Airmen from Schriever Air Force base trained like National Football
League players during a Denver Broncos Military Combine practice Aug. 7,
at the Broncos' Dove Valley Fieldhouse in Englewood, Colorado.
The event was sponsored by USAA as a way to show appreciation for military members and their service.
"It is very important for us at USAA, being a military life company, to
show support and appreciation for the military all year round, and the
partnership with the Broncos helps us do that on a very intimate and
unique level here in Denver," said Brian Eaton, USAA director of
sponsorships.
The military combine provided participants from Schriever, Peterson and
Buckley Air Force Bases as well as Fort Carson the opportunity to train
like NFL players under the direction of Denver Broncos' football-greats
K.C. Jones and Mark Cooper.
"I'm a big football fan, and there is a good atmosphere here with the
coaches," said Senior Airman Byron Brown, 50th Space Communications
Squadron. "It felt good being out there with them because I was going to
play football in college, but I got hurt, so being able to do this is a
good opportunity for me and gives me good experience."
Participants showcased their skills in five events - bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle run and a 40-yard dash.
"There are some talented guys out here," said Mike Simmons, Denver
Broncos military combine coach. "I ran the broad jump; we saw a
10-footer out here, and a couple nine foot jumps, so the athleticism
definitely showed out here."
Brown achieved one of the highest scores in the broad jump, with a score of 9 feet 8 inches.
"I'm just trying to do my best," said Brown. "Everyone is doing good, but I want to be on top."
The coaches and sponsors were so impressed with some of the participants
of the military combine they put them on par with participants from the
NFL combine. One participant logged a 42-inch vertical jump, which
ranks better than half of the NFL combine participants this year.
"There are some very impressive physical fitness skills that are
prevalent among the military that I think the American public doesn't
know about, so this is a great opportunity to have a great morale boost
for the military community and also showcase that we've got the fittest
fighting force out there," said Eaton.
This marks the third year USAA has partnered with the Denver Broncos to
host the military combine and the pair hopes to continue the tradition
in years to come.
"It's core to USAA's and the Denver Broncos' values to showcase
appreciation for the military," said Eaton. "We're just happy we were
able to [host this event]."
by Brian Hagberg
50th Space Wing Public Affairs
8/11/2015 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Military
life can be stressful for families. Long hours, shift work, moving
every few years, temporary duty assignments and deployments can all take
a toll on family life.
To help alleviate some of the stress from a deployment, the Air Force
has created a new program for Airmen, and their families, who have
deployed during fiscal year 2015 (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30) called
Recharge for Resiliency.
"The R4R program is designed for deployed families," said Karen Draper,
Schriever Sustainment Service flight chief. "It's meant to give the
families the opportunity to reconnect with each other or take a break
because [deployment] is stressful."
To be eligible to participate the following conditions must be met:
deployment, temporary duty assignment of 30 days or more or
365-permanent change of station in support of an active operation, or
dependent restricted assignment, six months or more, must have occurred
beginning on or after Oct. 1, 2014. Eligible participants include:
active duty members and their families; deployed Air National Guard, Air
Force Reserve and Department of Defense civilians and their families;
Air Force Wounded Warrior members and their families; families of fallen
warriors with DOD identification cards; and Army, Navy or Marine active
duty members, and their families, officially assigned to a tenant
organization hosted on an active Air Force base where the Morale,
Welfare and Recreation programs are operated by Air Force Force Support
Squadrons.
Draper said because the funds for this program were specifically
allocated, the rules governing participation and programming are
strictly enforced.
"There are certain things we can't do," Draper said. "We can't do
entertainment, like football tickets, and it's very specific for family
members. You can't have the neighborhood kids go [with you]. Some
programs in the past have had a little bit of flexibility that you
could, but...you can't bring three friends or anything like that."
Each Air Force base was given a specific amount of money for R4R, based
on base population. Because Schriever is a smaller base, Draper reached
out to the U.S. Air Force Academy to form a partnership for the program.
"We have gone ahead and partnered with USAFA so we can offer a broader
range of programs and we're splitting costs between the two bases," she
said.
This partnership also helps ensure enough participation to prevent event
cancellation, said Charles Alfultis, U.S. Air Force Academy Outdoor
Recreation Center manager.
"[Partnering with Schriever] gives us the opportunity to host programs
without being cancelled," he said. "It increases participation to where
we can have an event."
A number of the events planned thus far will take place at USAFA, such as golf lessons, art classes and a family camping event.
"We have a little bit of everything, we've tried to look at a variety of things," Draper said.
Deployed Airmen, or their family members, interested in participating
first need to get a letter from their First Sergeant certifying they are
eligible for the program. Draper said she has already sent a template
of the letter to all Schriever First Sergeants, so members only need to
ask their First Sergeant for the letter, fill out the information and
bring it with them when they register for events.
"Early registration is important," Alfultis said. "It gives us an
opportunity to know if a program is going to have enough participation.
If they wait until the last minute [the program might be cancelled]."
Registration can be done at either the Schriever or USAFA Outdoor
Recreation facilities. Once the reservation and payment, if necessary,
are complete an email will be sent to the member. The email serves as
both a receipt and ticket for the event, so it will need to be brought
for admittance to the event.
"The Academy has been awesome to step up and help us with this
[program]," Draper said. "If someone lives in that area, or happens to
be over there, they can go to Outdoor Rec at the Academy with their
letter and sign up right there."
Alfultis said programs like R4R are important because it provides a
low-cost opportunity to relax, especially for families of deployed
members.
"[R4R] is very important, especially for dependents and the people left
behind while the spouse is deployed," he said. "The program gives the
opportunity to participate in low-cost recreation programs. It's a good
opportunity to relax and relieve stress while the spouse is away."
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