Vance Enlisted Appreciation Night slated for May 2 Published April 7, 2009 By 2nd Lt. Lynn Aird 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 41st annual Enlisted Appreciation Night is slated for May 2. All enlisted personnel serving at Vance Air Force Base, as well as local recruiters, are invited to a night of food, fun and prizes. "Every other week at Vance there are track-select nights, or assignment nights, or graduations," said George Pankonin, co-chair of Enlisted Appreciation Night. "The idea here is to set aside a night for the base's enlisted, to thank them for their hard work and efforts." The event, scheduled at the Vance Collocated Club at 5:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce, as well as other local organizations. Attendees must sign in at the door to enter their names in a drawing for donated prizes. Personnel who are deployed or who have to work that evening will also be entered through their first sergeants and the command chief. Free food and beverages will be available while they last, and a blackjack tournament will begin at 7 p.m. for trophies. The evening will end with the drawings for over $15,000 in cash and prizes. The command chief will hold the prizes of those not present due to work obligations.