Altus Air Force Base News

 

Families Enjoy Quarterly Dinner

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Acs
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Airman and Family Readiness Center hosted a deployed family dinner, Oct. 14 at the Freedom Community Center. Family members of deployed Airmen came to relax, eat, and learn about the services available to them while their loved one is away. The dinner is a quarterly event open to families of Airmen currently deployed, Airmen who are getting ready to deploy, and Airmen who have just returned from a deployment.

"It's a morale event where we put on a dinner, entertainment for the children and let them know that wing leadership is here to support them during the time of deployment and that the spouses are not alone during the process," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rowena Ennis, Force Support Squadron readiness NCO. "We generally have helping agencies at the dinner like mental health, the chapel, family advocacy, of course the Airman and Family Readiness Center and then the military and family life counselors so they know who their helping agencies are during the time of deployment."

The event included a dinner for the families and service members, and entertainment and information. To keep everyone entertained, there was a movie, face painting, pumpkin carving and a bounce castle with an inflatable slide for children.

"We get a lot of spouses who are very appreciative of what we do, and a lot of them are very surprised at what we have available," said Ennis. "Last year, we had a holiday event and we had a lot of door prizes and free stuff for the family members, and the Armed Forces YMCA partnered up with MATTEL and provided a lot of toys for the children as well."

Ennis said the deployed family dinner is an important event because it offers support to Air Force families during difficult times and it is important that the families of the deployed service members know that there are people who really want to help.

"It's good to know that I'm not alone. There's a bunch of people here that know the feeling of having a deployed spouse," said the spouse of a deployed Airman. "They all understand that there is this storm cloud that follows you right after your spouse leaves. It's like Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. They get that."

Several helping agencies had tables outside the FCC ballroom with informative pamphlets for participants to take home.

"I'm happy the base acknowledges the struggle families go through, and that they bring people out to represent the families that are missing their service member," said the spouse. "If you need help, you're probably going to find somebody there that knows something."

"For me, it's just a way to get out and be in the community so that we don't isolate ourselves." said the spouse. "We get to get out and socialize and get out of our daily routine. And the children are happy to get out here and play."