Family First: Hundreds turn out for Wing Family Day during October drill

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Vicky Spesard
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Bounce houses, games, a popcorn stand and a fire truck lined Thoroughbred Express Blvd. as Airmen, family members, guests and volunteers converged onto the Kentucky Air Guard Base Oct. 21 for the 123rd Airlift Wing's 2012 Family Day.

Col. Warren Hurst, wing commander, greeted more than 500 spouses and children during a welcome address in the Fuel Cell Hanger.

"We are very excited to have all of you here to share this day with us," he said. "Our families play a vital role in our mission and make sacrifices every day to support what we do here. This day is about celebrating that family spirit."

Guests were treated to motivational speaker Kay Frances' humorous look at military life, followed by the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus in a miniature C-130.

Following the theme of "Christmas in October," a small AAFES store was set up in the hangar by the Fort Knox Post Exchange. Uniform items, electronics, perfumes and many other items were available for purchase.

On the main activity field, family games including a duck pond and bingo, face-painting and washable tattoos rounded out the afternoon.

A picnic-style lunch was served and several prizes were raffled off, too.

"Today was a great day," said event coordinator Dave Rooney, program manager for the 123rd Airlift Wing's Airman and Family Readiness Group. "The amount of family members who came out to support their Airmen and spend the day here is tremendous. We had so many volunteers who came to help (and) more activities for families to take part in. It was a very successful event."