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Year of the Air Force Family takes shape

In this “Year of the Air Force Family,” top leaders are urging airmen not to define the word “family” the way they usually do.

The year designated for recognizing quality-of-life issues important to all airmen began in July. It offers an opportunity to point out what the Air Force is doing well and learn how the service can improve, said Eliza Nesmith, chief of the airman and family services division.

“It’s highlighting that the family is important, and everybody is in the family,” including single airmen, and airmen’s spouses, children, parents and grandparents, Nesmith said.

At the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference in September, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz outlined four pillars that will drive programs and discussions aimed at making life better for the family that is the Air Force: health and wellness; airman and family support; education, development and employment; and airman and family housing.

Schwartz said he wants to reclaim the sense of community that has faded with the closing of clubs and other facilities that for decades served as gathering places for airmen.

“In the process [the loss of those places] diminished an aspect of the small-town community,” he said.

Through next July, Air Force officials will mark grand openings of new facilities — such as chapels and exercise trails — and the rollout of new medical and wellness programs with reminders that this is the Year of the Air Force Family. The Air Force found year-end money to pay for some of the projects, which might have been in the works but on the back burner, Nesmith said.

An Air Force-wide Air Force Family Week is scheduled for Nov. 1-7, and each base will have its own initiatives, fairs and exhibits during the year.

Nesmith said the Year of the Air Force Family resulted from the Caring for People Forum held in April. The forum drew more than 200 Air Force behavioral specialists, chaplains, family-advocacy personnel and other family-support professionals to discuss ways to improve services for airmen and their families.

Some of the suggestions included better support for single airmen, more help with transitioning children into new schools and improving services for airmen with exceptional family members.

The Air Force is making strides in all of those areas, Nesmith said.

“The Air Force is a good place to live and we want to make sure we’re not resting on our laurels on any of those thoughts,” she said.

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The Air Force found some money at the end of the fiscal year to expedite or begin projects aimed at improving airmen’s quality of life.

Base                            Project

Arnold AFB, Tenn.              Additional fitness center parking

Beale AFB, Calif.              Lights, Warrior Running Trail

Beale                            New gymnasium floor

Buckley AFB, Colo.              Water play equipment at child care center

Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.       Youth center/child care center repairs

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska              Gazebo for dorm campus

Elmendorf                     Winter activity complex near dorms

Hill AFB, Utah                     Chapel sanctuary

Holloman AFB, N.M.              Additional base chapel

Kirtland AFB, N.M.              Basketball courts

Misawa AB, Japan              Bowling center renovation

Patrick AFB, Fla.              Tennis courts

Peterson AFB, Colo.              Pavilion

Pope AFB, N.C.              Fitness jogging trail

Schriever, Colo.              Volleyball court, horseshoe pit

Yokota AB, Japan              Jogging path extension