Team Vance partners with Enid for Camp Tomahawk

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  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Enid children visited Vance for Camp Tomahawk, a summer camp organized and paid for by the Enid Chamber of Commerce, June 1-12.

Approximately 60 Vance Airmen volunteered to spend time with 35 children during a "boys' week" and a "girls' week."

"It gives kids the opportunity to get out of their routines to do things they wouldn't normally do and just be kids in a safe, positive environment with great role models," said 1st Lt. Rocque Gartland, a 3rd Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot. "They get to see that there's a bigger world out there, and the counselors get to grow because they take responsibility for and get to know the campers they interact with. It's really a great program. I hope the base continues to support it."

During the camp the children got the opportunity to tour the base, fly pilot training simulators, swim at the Base Pool and travel to unique destinations around northwest Oklahoma to include Alabaster Caverns, Frontier City and the Oklahoma City Zoo.

"Camp Tomahawk is not what I expected," said Juleen Cantu, 10, who attended "girls' week." "I thought it was going to be camping outside. I really enjoyed going to Frontier City the best because I've never been there, and it was a lot of fun."

Vance has teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce for more than 25 years, and Kalea Stafford, a chamber member, said in an email interview that the civic group plans to make future camps even better experiences for the children.

In past years, the activities have been nearly identical for "boys' week" and "girls' week." Stafford said while all of the campers will still take trips to Frontier City, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Alabaster Caverns, next year volunteers are going to specifically customize the on-base activities to each group's interests.

She added that planners are going to expand the overall list of activities next year as well.

"We are also planning to look into doing a tour of the local fire station, as well as having the campers go bowling on base," she said. "We implemented a great recruitment tool this year with having a couple of the volunteer counsellors from Vance attend a school assembly in their flight suits to discuss all the fun that takes place at Camp Tomahawk. We have several ideas in place to make next year even better than the last."

Col. Clark Quinn, the 71st Flying Training Wing commander, said Camp Tomahawk's annual successes are more examples of how the partnership between Team Vance and the residents of Enid continues to be one of the best military-civilian relationships in the Air Force.

"Every year our Airmen look forward to an opportunity to mentor America's future, and we can't do that successfully without help from our community partners," he said. "We can't wait to host Camp Tomahawk again next year."

(Contributing writers: 2nd Lt. Isabel Crump, Tech. Sgt. James Bolinger and Staff Sgt. Nancy Falcon)