Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun and Showcase Their Mission Published Sept. 20, 2024 By Julian Hernandez 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND -- More than 2,000 433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen and their family members enjoyed an afternoon of food, live music, games, military equipment displays, and more at the 2024 Alamo Wing Family Day Sept. 15. The event allowed service members to give their loved ones a small glimpse of what they do at the 433rd AW while soaking in some wholesome family time. It also took place during the last part of the September Unit Training Assembly, giving Airmen a short break from the normal UTA battle rhythm. Among the many fun activities available, family members enjoyed the opportunity to see a C-5M Super Galaxy up close. Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission Three kids play on a replica of a World War Two-era jeep, one of the many military displays available during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered reservists the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission 433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen and their family members enjoy a day of food, live music, games and activities, including a car show and rides, during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered reservists the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission A young attendee lets his imagination run wild, pretending to fly a C-5M Super Galaxy, during a tour of the flight deck as part of the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered 433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “The tour on the airplane was the best thing of the day,” said Cristina Rodts, wife of 433rd Maintenance Group Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Brandon Rodts. “The little train for the kids was amazing … the kids had a lot of fun. Everything was great!” “I really enjoyed it here,” said Victor Bowie, brother of Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Cendejas, a 433rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical technician. “I like to come out and support our troops, support my sister, and see the equipment up close and personal.” A 465th Air Refueling Squadron aircrew member shows a little girl how the flight controls of a KC-135 Stratotanker from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. work during a static display at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The KC-135 was one of several military displays available during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “It's a great opportunity to have our family out here to be part of the experience,” Cendejas said. “Letting them see what we do and what the mission is, while having the opportunity to meet the family members of our wingmen… it’s a wonderful experience.” Some Alamo Wing reservists were simultaneously supporting the event and spending time with family. Technical Sgt. Luke Christiansen, a 356th Airlift Squadron flight engineer, facilitated tours of the C-5M before joining his family for some fun. “It's cool seeing all the enthusiasm from the community and especially the kids,” Christiansen said. “It's a little bit more interesting working the static because you get more interactive with everybody when you're actually working, versus just walking around with your own family.” Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission Technical Sgt. Christopher Cordova, a 433rd Security Forces Squadron fire team leader, gives the son of an Alamo Wing Reserve Citizen Airman the opportunity to interact with an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon during the wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered reservists the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jacob Lewis) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission 433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen and their family members enjoy a day of food, live music, games and military displays, including several weapons and equipment displays, during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered reservists the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Alamo Wing Members Enjoy a Day of Family Fun While Showcasing Their Mission 1st Lt. Deborah Slusher, a 433rd Airlift Wing public affairs officer, paints the face of a young boy at the Company Grade Officers’ Council booth during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered 433rd AW Reserve Citizen Airmen the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Coordinating the wide range of activities, displays, food, and drinks required the support of countless volunteers, but three officers led the charge. Capt. Trevor Reed, 68th AS assistant chief of training, served as the lead organizer. He then enlisted the help of 1st Lts. Luke Metheney and Jay Solo, 68th AS pilots, to tackle the massive task of putting on Family Day. “I volunteered for it last year,” Reed said. “Did a lot of work last year together with Lt. Col. Marc Mulkey and then kind of rolled into spearheading it this year.” Reed added, “I just had a whole lot of help from my lieutenants… They are newer lieutenants in the squadron… Just got here this year. They did the majority of the work.” Col. Douglas Jeffrey, 433rd Airlift Wing commander, shares an impromptu dance with his wife, Molly, as a band plays during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered 433rd AW Reserve Citizen Airmen the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “We had a great turnout… I saw tons of families and kids having fun,” said Metheney, who coordinated everything regarding food at Family Day. “That's super important because military family life can be hard. Sometimes, I only get to see my wife for a little bit, so it nice to have opportunities like this to appreciate them… family is a big part of us.” “Col. Jeffrey, the new wing commander, he helped us out quite a bit,” said Solo, who handed all the static displays. “The wing commander said ‘families are the most important thing… If we don't have our families to go home to, how are we going to come here and do our jobs the way that we do?’ So he gave us a good push.” Reed is soliciting feedback from this year’s Family Day in order to make next year’s event even better. He asks anyone with suggestions to email him at trevor.reed.1@us.af.mil. 433rd Airlift Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen and their family members enjoy a day of food, live music, games and military displays, including a 149th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon, during the Alamo Wing’s Family Day at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas Sept. 15, 2024. The event offered reservists the opportunity to showcase the unit’s mission while spending quality time with loved ones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res