Colorado S prings M ilitary Newspaper Group
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Did you know?
THE DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
CLIMATE ASSESSMENT Is available now until Monday for all military and civilian employees to complete? Your respective group access codes have been sent out via a separate email through the respective group administrative channels. Although the survey requests demographic data in order to assess specific problem areas, your identity will remain anonymous. This is an opportunity to provide comments, observations and recommendations for improvements for the 50th Space Wing.
Base Briefs Spouses are invited to events marked with
THIS WEEK Legal Office to have minimum manning
The 50th Space Wing Legal Office will not be conducting an Article 137 briefing Friday. Members will be supported for any deployment-related matters. For more information, call 567-5050.
Building 300 auditorium closure
www.csmng.com
Vol. 12 No. 14
New chaplain aspires to journey alongside Airmen By Halle Thornton 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Life is not about the destination, but the journey that gets you there. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, 1st Lt. Lauren Hughes, chaplain with the 50th Space Wing, made her first appearance in Colorado Springs, Colorado at 12 years old. She moved to the Springs when her father was stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado as a member of the U.S. Army. Hughes was only in Colorado for two months before she and her father moved to Germany. Upon her father’s separation from the Army, they settled in Houston, Texas. Hughes went to college at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where she received her degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. After graduation, Hughes began to feel “the itch” for the military, and took her grandfather’s advice to speak to a recruiter about joining the Air Force. “I just wanted to serve,” she said. Plans changed and Hughes had to move back to Georgia. “I don’t think it was God’s timing for me,” See New chaplain page 7
U.S. Air Force photo by Dennis Rogers
First Lt. Lauren Hughes, chaplain with the 50th Space Wing, converses with Airmen at the Easter egg hunt at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, April 2, 2018. Hughes arrived at Schriever in March and looks forward to helping Airmen find their true identity.
I am Schriever: Mind over muscle
The Building 300 auditorium will not be available due to equipment installations. Completion date is to be determined. To reserve other conference rooms, call multimedia customer service at 567—5090. When scheduling an event, call one week in advance.
AFAF seeks donations
The Air Force Assistance Fund is now taking contributions to be funneled into the Air Force’s four major charities: Air Force Air Society, Air Force Enlisted Village, Air Force Villages Charitable Foundation and the Gen. and Mrs. Curtis E. LeMay Foundation. Payroll Deduction Plan allotments and cash are the two ways to contribute. Cash includes U.S. currency, personal checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, endorsed traveler’s checks or other redeemable instruments. Active and Reserve Component 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
Community bonds............................2 Bright future.....................................9 Outdoor rec..................................... 10
U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Wes Wright
Staff Sgt. Alayna DeHerrera, executive assistant to the 50th Space Wing command chief, performs a chest fly at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, March 29, 2018. DeHerrera started her fitness journey in 2012 and plans to compete for her pro card in July.
By Tech. Sgt. Wes Wright 50th Space Wing Public Affairs
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Its 3 a.m. on Monday as the blaring, annoying “beep, beep, beep” of an alarm clock shatters a still, peaceful slumber. Most people might contemplate a quick and destructive demise of the mechanical entity daring to pull them from the sweet abyss of sleep. Throw in the idea of going to the gym minutes later and the most common response is likely to be: “nope.” Staff Sgt. Alayna DeHerrera, executive assistant to the 50th Space Wing command chief, isn’t most people. The 5’3,” 120-pound, muscular Airman started her fitness journey in 2012 and hasn’t looked back. “When I first started, I had no idea what to do in the gym or what movements target what body part,” DeHerrera said. “If I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical or ran a mile, I thought I was really getting after it. I also I had no idea what proper nutrition meant.”
When her husband, Staff Sgt. Derrek DeHerrera, vulnerability remediation supervisor with the 561st Network Operations Squadron, deployed in 2012, Alayna took “getting after it” to a whole new level. “I began lifting daily, educating myself and cleaning up my diet,” DeHerrera said. “I started following bodybuilders on social media and found myself continuously inspired. This continued for about three years, I found myself always driving to cardio harder and lift heavier; I found myself constantly being approached by strangers asking if I was a competitor.” While she couldn’t answer yes then, she can now. She placed first in the 2017 National Physique Committee Colorado Muscle Classic open class division. She followed that up by placing first in five different categories of the 2017 Nspire Sports League Colorado State Open. DeHerrera isn’t stopping there. While her wins are no small feat, NPC events are often considered the minor leagues of bodybuild-
ing by athletes. For natural competitors like DeHerrera, the next step up is trying to earn a pro card through the Nspire Sports League. “I am working toward earning my NSL pro card in July of this year at the Denver Pro Qualifer,” she said. “Winning your pro card advances you to a more competitive pool of athletes where there is often a monetary payout for those who place well. More than that though, a pro status is a testament of drive, hard work and relentlessness.” For DeHerrera, the theme of relentlessness permeates everything she does. The cardio that starts her day is just workout number one. “Post cardio, I typically eat breakfast and then go lift for about an hour,” she said. “I typically train five or six days a week. From the gym, I head straight to work. At night when I go home, I ensure I get as much rest as possible along with prepping for the next day ... that means making sure my meals are See Mind over muscle page 8