Military child steps to the plate! Published June 13, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Veronique Henry 30th Space Wing Public Affairs 30th Space Wing Public Affairs -- VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In the Air Force there are sacrifices that Airmen make for their country. These sacrifices range from spending less than the ideal amount of time with their family, to the ultimate sacrifice, their lives. Although the children of Airmen aren't directly enlisted or commissioned, they make sacrifices too. In the midst of deployed parents and moving from place to place, military children have to make the best of the military lifestyle. The Air Force core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do, are seen by and passed on to military children. Amber Hooks, daughter of Senior Master Sgt. Jodi Hooks, flight chief, 576th Flight Test Squadron, is the only military child on her local softball team in Lompoc. After less than a year of playing together, Amber's team qualified for the National Softball Association (NSA) World Series in Las Vegas, Nevada and the United States Specialty Sport Association (USSSA) World Series in Orlando, Florida. Q: What have you learned as a military child? A: My dad is in the military and with him working there it has taught me dedication because he has to dedicate his hours to doing what he needs to do. That helps me dedicate my time to softball. Q: How long have you been playing softball? A: I've been playing for 8 years. Q: What do you like best about softball? A: I like the part about being a team and having team effort. Q: What made you start playing softball? A: My brother and my dad have always been really big baseball fans. My dad played when he was in high school and my brother played as well. After seeing my brother play, I thought it looked fun and my parents wanted me to play so they put me in t-ball. After playing, I fell in love with it and just wanted to continue. Q: How does it feel to be the only military child on this local softball team? A: Being the only military child is fun because seeing my team members come on base and be fascinated... it's funny. Q: How does it feel to have qualified for the NSA World Series and USSSA World Series games? A: It feels amazing to have accomplished that after being a team for such a short time. Q: What will it take for your team to do well in these two World Series games? A: We just need to work really hard. We're a really good team but we have a lot of flaws and we just need to work on those flaws and we'll be fine. Q: Do you think physical fitness and staying active is important? A: Totally! It helps you stay healthy.