Airmen immersed in Tinker, state culture

Published Nov. 28, 2006
By Staff Sgt. Amanda Mills
Public Affairs

Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- A group of Vance Air Force Base first-term Airmen was given a tour of Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., and its community Monday courtesy of the Vance First Sergeant Council.
Master Sgt. Joe Davis, 71st Mission Support Group first sergeant, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Kallas, 71st Flying Training Wing, immersed the Airmen in Air Force life outside of Team Vance.
"The Vance First Sergeant Council wanted to host various trips to take our Airmen out of the local area to broaden their horizons," Sergeant Davis said. "The Tinker trip is the first of several we want to plan throughout the year. We'll engage our new dorm council for other trip ideas in the near future."
The tours are planned for about once per month, Chief Kallas said.
"It's the right thing to do to show our Airmen another base with another mission and show them there's more out there for them," he said.
The tour included a briefing and windshield tour from Tech. Sgt. Robert Futrell, Tinker AFB First Term Airmen's Center NCO in charge, Tinker's new one-plus-one Airmen dorms, a briefing from Chief Master Sgt. Jonathan Hake, Air Force Materiel Command command chief, as well as a tour of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
"Tinker's FTAC students go through a similar tour," Sergeant Futrell said. "It shows them their community, and it breaks up the monotony of briefing slides."
Sergeant Futrell said he was glad to help show Team Vance Airmen a broader scope.
"I've been at small bases," he said. "It's easy to get disillusioned, and this immersion tour allows them to come and see there's more to Oklahoma and the Air Force."
Airman 1st Class Michelle Reynolds, 71st Security Forces Squadron, attended the tour and visited Tinker for the first time.
"It's a really nice base, and it was great to see something different," Airman Reynolds said. "The tour made me realize that when I move on to other bases, I'm going to experience something different each time. They're not all like Vance."
Other tour participants included Airman Amy Hanson, 71st Comptroller Squadron; Airman 1st Class W. Struglinski, 71st Communications Squadron; Airman Arianne Desmarais, 71st Medical Group; Airman 1st Class Josh Broswell, 71st SFS; and Airman Scott Kirk, 71st SFS.