Families welcomed at Happy Landings

  • Published
  • By Airman Alessandra N. Gamboa
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Air Force families met with more than 30 base agencies during the first-ever Happy Landings orientation at Dakota's Club, July 19.

Happy Landings was developed based in part on feedback from spouses during the May 2011 Caring for People forum as a new way to welcome Air Force families to Ellsworth and the community.

"Spouses voiced their concerns about a loss of initial contact when they first arrived to Ellsworth," explained Laurie Adkins, Airman and Family Readiness Center coordinator. "Our solution is to offer Happy Landings once a month and to exclude briefings from the format."

According to Adkins, the new program is designed using an informal speed-dating approach allowing Airmen, spouses and children to learn about available resources by speaking directly to representatives from various agencies.

Airman 1st Class Michael Ynostroza, 28th Maintenance Squadron electrical and environmental systems apprentice, has only been at Ellsworth for a month and agreed the new format helped him to better retain useful information.

"During orientation at the First Term Airmen's Center, it was really hard for me to retain all of the information I learned from sitting through consecutive briefings, and I didn't have enough time to think about possible questions I may have," he said. "By coming to this event, I was able to bring my wife, Katie, with me to meet with some of the FTAC briefers to refresh my memory. My wife and I were both able to ask them questions about what the base has to offer."

Airman 1st Class Edgar Cerrillo, 28th Security Forces Squadron patrolman, was among the representatives from police agencies meeting with new families to provide safety tips and other pertinent information, including gate closures.

"We have resources for everyone in the family, from teaching children how to say no to drugs and stay away from strangers to preventing risky behavior by encouraging Airmen and their spouses not to engage in dangerous activities such as sending text messages while driving," Cerrillo said.

Mrs. Ynostroza said she learned a lot of useful information from the 28th SFS Airmen and Box Elder police officers about gate closures and was also able to learn how she could pursue her interests in arts and crafts from representatives of Outdoor Recreation. Both Ynostroza and his wife recommend Happy Landings to other new families as a way to become familiar with their environment.

"This is a way to help families get settled in by learning about their community, and it should be a lot of fun," Adkins explained. "No signups are required and family members are encouraged to show up at any time throughout the event and jump into the rotation."

Since this was the first time Happy Landings was offered at Ellsworth, Adkins said she is counting on plenty of feedback from families to make improvements for future Happy Landings events.

For more information about Happy Landings, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at (605) 385-HOME.