Heroes Welcoming Heroes event to provide welcome home feast in July

  • Published
  • By Mike Wallace
  • WPAFB Skywrighter staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The next Heroes Welcoming Heroes event for military members returning from deployment and their families is planned for 6-8 p.m. July 11 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. 

Heroes Welcoming Heroes is hosted by Wright-Patterson's Integrated Delivery System -- 13 base agencies that form a team to provide help to active duty military, family members, Department of Defense civilians, and retirees, said Jennifer Spurgin, the chief of base family member programs. 

The IDS agencies include alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment program, American Red Cross, Airman and family readiness center, chaplain services, employee assistance program, family advocacy program, family member program, health and wellness center, mental health, military equal opportunity, organizational consulting office, sexual assault response coordinator office and victim witness assistance program. 

The upcoming Heroes Welcoming Heroes event will be the sixth one in a series that began in 2005. 

Some of the "heroes" are the troops returning home, Ms. Spurgin said. The other 'Heroes" are the families who support them. 

"We've had more that 2,000 people participate so far," she said. "We have a 'buy-in' by the community, and the spouses are so critical for our success." 

Besides the heroes, veterans' associations, the Air Force Association, base leaders, community and base organizations have all supported the welcoming event. 

"It's a family-friendly evening of food, fun, door prizes and education," she said. "This event in July will have clowns making balloon figures and music from the Air Force Band of Flight. 
"Also, base leadership at all levels and local community and government representatives plan to attend. An emcee will talk to families and to children, asking them, 'What's best about having mommy or daddy home again?'" 

The IDS sends invitations to affected families connected to all base organizations, and company grade officer volunteers follow up with telephone calls to ensure that all heroes receive word about the banquet," Ms. Spurgin said. 

Anyone interested in attending should reply to his or her first sergeant. 

"The CGOs also help with the set-up and tear down at the banquet," she added. "Up to a dozen representatives from the base, community and spouse points of contact plan the event, beginning nearly two months ahead.
"This is a labor of love. People work so hard and are so ... committed to this." 

Through a partnership of community businesses and agencies and base agencies, the Heroes Welcoming Heroes banquet will feature door prizes of luggage, TVs, quilts, gift packages for newborns, restaurant coupons, tickets to Dayton Bombers and Dayton Dragons games and more. 

"Other bases have contacted me to find out what we're doing here," Ms. Spurgin said. "The planning is streamlined now, but other bases don't do what we're doing, and they want to learn from us." 

She said that the Heroes Welcoming Heroes banquets are coordinated with the air expeditionary force cycle. 

Anyone interested in more information about the Heroes Welcoming Heroes banquet should contact his or her first sergeant.