Altus celebrates 4th Annual Operation Welcome Home No simple thank you

  • Published
  • By Brian J. Colonna
  • 97th Force Support Squadron Marketing Director
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The 97th Force Support Squadron transformed the Freedom Community Center's parking lot into an amusement park Sept. 26 for the Altus AFB community to enjoy. More than 700 people attended this year's Operation Welcome Home (OWH), an annual event that celebrates the return of 97th Air Mobility Wing's deploying warriors and sacrifices family members and co-workers endured during their absence for the past year.

"It [OWH] shows the Altus AFB community that our deploying Airmen, their families and co-workers are a critical concern of ours. In addition, the support from the Altus AFB community is unprecedented," said Lt. Col. Henry "Lee" Moton, 97th Force Support Squadron Commander.

More than 50 people volunteered their time to set up, prepare the food, run the activities, tear down and clean up from organizations such as The Military Affairs Committee and various units throughout the 97 AMW.

The event was free to the military community which featured live bands (Stevie Ray Vaughn and Blues Brother's tribute bands) and various inflatable activities for youth and adults of all ages such as the 30-foot tall "Kraken" slide and an 80-foot long "Volcano" zip-line obstacle course. Other activities included jousting, paintball, sumo-suit wrestling and golf cart races. The Freedom Community Center's ballroom hosted numerous activities for toddlers and youth ranging from play dough art to video game contests. There was also a free buffet, which consisted of mesquite smoked hamburgers, hotdogs with garnishes, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, fresh fruit, homemade cupcakes, cookies and brownies.

Random drawings were conducted throughout the event with over $7K in give-aways, including a 36-inch, flat-screen LCD TV from various on and off base organizations were raffled to the crowd of over 700 people. Master Sgt. Eric Kuhns, 58th Airlift Squadron was the lucky winner of the event's grand prize, a Hawaiian trip for two which included airfare, car rental and hotel for five-days/four-nights. Sergeant Kuhns was deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq, January through May of this year. People entering the raffle for the Hawaiian trip must have deployed in the past year; all other prizes, including the TV, were open to everyone that attended the event.

"This [OWH] is one of the most anticipated events for the entire year by the deployers...they want to win the grand prize and at the same time have some fun with their families," said Colonel Moton. "The base community is totally thrilled to give our deployers who have bravely served this country a proper welcome home. In addition, local sponsors donate gifts/certificates to show their gratitude for our dedicated service to the country."