Capt. David Fazenbaker, 7th Airlift Squadron, is greeted by his wife, Amber, and 8-month-old son, Chance, on the flightline July 11, 2006, after returning from a deployment with the squadron.

by Tyler Hemstreet
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

11/21/2006 - McChord Air Force Base, Wash.  -- The name and location say it all.

Nestled in a grove of tall trees off Lincoln Boulevard, McChord's Escape Zone is a place for newborns to 5-year-olds and their parents to combat overwhelming feelings brought on by deployments or family relocation to and from McChord.

The center, which has been operating for nearly four years, gives mothers and their children a chance to learn new skills, meet new people and establish community connections, said Cheryl Vollmer, director of the McChord Airman and Family Readiness Center.

The Escape Zone provides a colorful and bright atmosphere where mothers and their children can play games, make crafts and interact with each other, said Escape Zone coordinator Frances Briseno-Wendel, 62nd Mission Support Squadron. Although parents are required to supervise their children at all times, the interaction throughout the center provides a great social opportunity for the children and their parents.

"The fact that it's on base and free is the best thing," Ms. Briseno-Wendel said. "It also provides parents a place where they can see what other services the base offers them." It's not uncommon for mothers to connect with each other while at the center with their children and realize they live just down the street from each other, she said.

There's also a host of special guests that visit -- including Sparky the Fire Dog and guest speakers from off-base organizations. For example, in May, as part of Asian Pacific Islander Month, volunteers from the museum visited the center and shared artifacts with the children, said Ms. Briseno-Wendel.

The center also routinely brings in a representative from the family advocacy program at Life Skills to teach infant massage and infant sign language techniques, she said. "It's a benefit to be able to tell parents about this place," said Vicki Lunghofer, a family advocacy nurse specialist with the 62nd Medical Group's New Parent Support Group. "It's such a resource."

While the visitors to the center are usually mothers and their children, as deployment buckets shift and the holiday season rings in, it isn't uncommon to see fathers and grandparents bring a child to the Escape Zone, Ms. Briseno-Wendel said.

Growth in the number of participants is a common trend with the Escape Zone, she said. In the four years it has been open, participation has nearly quadrupled, Ms. Vollmer said. "That really tells us that we answered a need for families here on base," she said, noting average attendance is around 500 people per month.

The Escape Zone is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m. For a calendar of events, call 982-8590.

  There is no airshow on McChord in 2006 or 2007.
      The next scheduled airshow at McChord will be in the summer of 2008.

In 2007, McChord officials plan to welcome back competitors throughout the United States’ Air Mobility Command and foreign air mobility contenders for AMC’s Rodeo competition, leaving the next air show to be held in 2008. 

History

The 62nd Airlift Wing was established as the 62nd Troop Carrier Wing on July 28, 1947, calling McChord Field (later Air Force Base), Wash., home on Aug. 15, 1947. The 4th, 7th and 8th Airlift Squadrons (formerly Troop Carrier Squadrons) moved from Bergstrom Field, Austin, Texas, and began flying operations. McChord has undergone considerable change since its establishment.

McChord's ability to provide global reach has been tested daily and sometimes approaches wartime intensity. From providing relief supplies to hurricane, flood, and earthquake victims both at home and abroad to flying food and medicine to the peoples of the former Soviet Union, McChord people and assets have been engaged in almost nonstop operations since its beginnings. Command tankers and airlifters have supported peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Bosnia, Iraq, Cambodia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Rwanda and Haiti.

McChord Airmen played a key role in the first ever, high-altitude combat humanitarian airdrop in the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. With the battle between coalition forces and the Taliban raging below, C-17s delivered more than 70,000 daily humanitarian rations to war weary citizens of Afghanistan.

By the time Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched in mid-March 2003, nearly 1,000 McChord Airmen were heavily involved in defending America. At the end of March, McChord's C-17s and aircrews made history when they nighttime airdropped 1,000 "Sky Soldiers" from the 173rd Airborne Brigade behind enemy lines into Northern Iraq. It was the largest combat airdrop since the invasion of Panama in December 1989 and a first for the C-17.

Most recently, McChord Airmen assisted in bringing relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. McChord brought over 135,000 pounds of food and water into the region and brought more than 1,000 residents of the area out to safety.
It doesn't matter if our mission is defense or humanitarian relief, the 62nd is prepared to deliver anywhere and at anytime.

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  Did you know that over 670,000 veterans call Washington State home?

  That’s one in nine Washington State residents!

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