Colorado S prings M ilitary Newspaper Group
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Did you know? HHHHHHHH
SAAPM Dodgeball Tournament HHHHHHHH
Did you know the annual SAAPM Dodgeball Tournament will be held at 9 a.m. Friday in the fitness center gym?
Base Briefs Spouses are invited to events marked with
THIS WEEK Schriever Fitness Center offers combative courses The Schriever Fitness Center offers free basic and intermediate combative courses 6 — 7 a.m. every Wednesday. The course is open to all Department of Defense cardholders affiliated with Schriever (15 years old and above). This is limited to 20 people a week and filled on a first come, first served basis. Bring a mouth guard, water bottle and exercise clothing that you’re not afraid of tearing. Individuals must register with the fitness center at 567-6628, no later than 5 p.m. every Monday.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office holds donation drive April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month and Month of the Military Child. This year, we would like to give our children a chance to give a used stuffed animal to a child in need. The SAPR office will be collecting animals through April 24 to be used for Zoo Zoom Runs and then donated to Safe Passage, a child advocacy center. Donation boxes are located at the Child Development Center, Tierra Vista Community, entry control facilities and Building 210. More Briefs page 4 Sign up for weekly Schriever announcements, news and more. Visit www.schriever.af.mil and click “Public Affairs” under featured links.
Public Affairs
Inside Transforming Technicians................ 3 Slowing the spin...............................7 Members provide grief support...... 12
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Vol. 11 No. 15
MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD
Big thumbs up from Papi By Staff Sgt. Wes Wright 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
I feel it’s safe to say, in general, most men look up to their dads to some degree. Sure, there are some bad apples here and there but it’s fairly common to esteem one’s father and feel a desire to impress him. For me, that has always been the case. Dad’s validation means a lot. If you’re familiar with Disney’s “Kronk’s New Groove,” you know Kronk (a big, dumb, but well intentioned and loyal guy), spends the whole movie trying to get a “big thumbs up from Papi.” Now that I think about it, I’ve got more in common with Kronk than I care to admit. My dad enlisted in the Air Force in 1979, serving the majority of his career as an F-15 crew chief, retiring in 2001. I’ve always been thankful for the sacrifices he made for his family, but as I start to hit certain waypoints in my own career, I’ve gained so much more appreciation for who he is and what he did. I enlisted in the Air Force in 2006. Immediately, I set the bar high for myself. I told myself, “If I don’t get honor graduate in basic training, I’ve failed dad.” I mean, heck, one of the F-15s my dad crewed is a static display on the parade grounds at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Nothing like performing an “eyes right” at graduation and seeing your commander, dad and dad’s jet looking back at you. Obviously, dad would have been proud either way, but knowing excelling would make him prouder, drove me. I got honor graduate and followed that up with distinguished honor graduate in tech school. I can still remember standing at a pay phone (I know, I barely remember what those are too) with the biggest smile on my face, holding my diploma and calling my dad to give him the news. Witnesses insist I was crying. Psssh, nu-uh! The same thing happened when I snagged some hardware in Airman Leadership School and when I made staff sergeant. My wife likes to say I’m like a cat. I act like I don’t need anyone’s validation or approval, but at the same time I’ll See Military Child page 6
U.S Air Force photo illustration/Staff Sgt. Wes Wright
(Top) Rob Wright poses for a photo at Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in 1979. (Bottom) Wes Wright poses for a photo in San Antonio, Texas following graduation from BMT in 2006. Rob’s example as a father and veteran laid the groundwork for his son to follow in his footsteps 27 years later.
50th Space Wing Priority #2 Advance professionalism and infrastructure to enable mission performance
Schriever families celebrate spring By Tech Sgt. Sara Bishop 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
The 50th Force Support Squadron hosted the 16th annual Spring Fling celebration Saturday. “(It’s a) celebration for the spring season, but ultimately to thank our service members and all those who serve and work here at Schriever. (It allows) time to celebrate all their hard work,” said Jennifer Stark, 50 FSS marketing director. The theme for Spring Fling was “Once Upon A Time” and advertisements encouraged attendees to dress as their favorite fairy tale character. Activities included a petting zoo, pony rides, games, bounce houses, face painting, balloon art as well as pictures with Harry the bunny and “Beauty and the Beast” characters. “It helps you to meet new people at the base and just brings the community together,” said Nicole Delaney, Schriever spouse. See Fling page 13
U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sara Bishop
Kamoania Fajardo, shows off her freshly painted face during the annual Spring Fling event at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Saturday, April 8, 2017. The event theme was “Once Upon A Time.”