Stick a fork in it, the Year of the Air Force Family is...done? Published July 29, 2010 By Lt. Col. Patrick Reese 30th Medical Support Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Wait a minute! Just because the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force named July 2009 to July 2010 as the Year of the Air Force Family, doesn't mean that we forget about it in a few days and move on to the next thing. Over the last year, we've been introduced to some great programs that you may have heard about but didn't know much about them, or you may have never known such a thing existed. All of this information - commanders' commentaries, senior leader speeches, web sites, and videos - has been focused on preserving and enhancing our most valuable resource, Airmen and the families who support them. While we all may have a pre-conceived notion of what makes up the "typical" Air Force Family, one quickly finds that, just like the "typical" Airmen, our strength lies in our diversity. The Air Force has a myriad of programs to aid and enrich all kinds of family situations - just click on the YOAFF icon on your Air Force Portal (the one with the cute baby girl being hugged by the Staff Sergeant in front of the Flag) and you'll see a ton of links to those programs. That's just a start. The Air Force Family starts with the Airman. A good organization grows from a solid foundation, and that is a highly-skilled, well-trained, and squared-away Airman. As a very wise friend (his initials are Chaplain Watties) said recently - do as you're told on airplanes "... put on your oxygen mask first, then assist those around you..." The Air Force will help you get a degree, save money through the Thrift Savings Program, become uber-proficient in a profession, and attain/maintain a high level of physical, mental, and spiritual fitness. In the medical world, we call it "maintaining the human weapon system." The goal is for everyone to become a lean, mean, Airpower machine. Once you invest a few minutes to take care of yourself as well as plan for your future, you'll then be better able to care for your immediate family. The YOAFF highlighted some incredible benefits and programs available to help your family. There are GI Bill benefits for spouses and kids, spouse jobs programs, resumé workshops... not to mention all of the family-oriented activities in Outdoor Rec, the Library, and the Chapel. My kids' personal favorite is the Movie Theater (How do you know your kids go to a lot of movies on-base?... They stand up before the movie in a downtown theater, waiting for the National Anthem). Finally, we look at taking care of the entire Air Force Family. It can be as simple as periodically checking in on the family of a deployed colleague, or helping new Airmen learn about the wonderful benefits available to them. That is the emphasis of the YOAFF - casting the net to encompass the whole Air Force Family, and targeting programs to make it an environment where all Airmen and their loved ones can reach their full potential. The programs are there, now we just need to go out and use them. At the end of a successful campaign, we now look forward to watching our Air Force Family grow. We all need to take a bow for doing our part - from the Airman who has set and followed a course to personal success, to the spouse who takes care of things during countless overtime and deployment hours, and finally, our children who are the builders of tomorrow's Air Force Family. As Yogi Berra would have said, "Nobody is in this all together alone." We have seen the Air Force Family, and the Air Force Family is us.