Fox 5 films Wednesday's Child at Dobbins Published Aug. 11, 2010 By Senior Airman Danielle Campbell DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- WAGA Fox 5 Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services accompanied their Wednesday's Child nomination, Angela, a 12-year-old Air Force member hopeful on a base tour here Aug. 14. Georgia Wednesday's Child was formed to find permanent homes for children in foster care by featuring children who are available for adoption. The program partners with the Freddie Mac Foundation, WAGA Fox 5 Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services' Adoption Unit. Several agencies were involved in making this special tour a great success and an unforgettable moment for Angela. Angela jumped out of the car with a half-smile on her face after pulling up to the visitor center just outside of the base entrance. She looked down at the ground for a few moments before gazing off into the distance beyond the gate. Her eyes filled with anticipation of what the day would bring. Angela's tour started off on the flightline where she was greeted by staff from the 94th Airlift Wing Aeromedical Evacuation Staging Squadron and members of the 94th AW Aircraft Maintenance Flight. Tech. Sgt. Karie Contreras of the 94th AMXF took Angela in the cockpit and let her be "co-pilot." "You can really be a pilot one day," Sergeant Contreras told Angela. The flight nurses helped Angela to care for a simulated sick patient. Angela "nursed her patient back to health" before she walked out of the C-130. Tech. Sgt. Susan Robinson, 94th AES, gifted Angela with a career patch which made a smile appear on Angela's face. "I want to be a part of something like this," Angela said as she slid the career patch in her pocket. Angela's next stop would be a symbolic one. Command Chief Master Sgt. John Anderson, 94th AW, greeted Angela with a handshake as she entered the room. "You are about to meet the drill team," Chief Anderson said. "They're dressed to the nine and they march in sync," he said. The room silenced as the Honor Guard marched in the room. Angela kept her eyes on the Airmen as they took their place in the front in preparation for the National Anthem. At the conclusion of their performance, Chief Anderson coined Angela with the 94th AW coin before Master Sgt. Geambro Wells, 1st Sgt. Of the 94th AW, greeted Angela. "I'm a people's person and I'm here to talk to Airmen in confidence," said Sergeant Wells. "I am in this position because I followed my goal to become a First Sergeant - all you have to do is follow your dreams," she concluded. Master Sgt. Bruce See, 94th AW Honor Guard Program Superintendent, concluded this portion of Angela's tour with a lesson on saluting. Angela stood in front of the flag at attention with the same gaze she previously had when she first arrived. Her right hand slowly rose across the front of her body and landed right above her brow. She slowly released her salute, just as Sergeant See had taught her. The room filled with applause. "That was awesome," Angela said as she headed out to her next stop, the 94th AW Security Forces. Outside, Angela walked up to a weapons display where she met Master Sgt. Engle Coulter, 94th AW SF Specialist and Staff Sgt. Richard Potter, 94th AW SFS. "Women have to work just as hard as men in this field," Sergeant Coulter explained. Angela explored the display as Sergeant Coulter reminded her to follow her dreams. Finally, Angela headed to meet members of the 94th AW Recruiting Squadron. Tears filled her eyes as Angela took mental note of what it would take to one day be a member of the Air Force. "This was such a good day that I got a little choked up," Angela said. She was just a few years away from making her dream a reality. She walked out of the recruiting office with a bag full of Air Force goodies. Her head was lifted, her shoulders were pulled back and her eyes could light up a dark room. Wednesday's Child, is featured on Fox 5 during the 6 o'clock newscast each week. Since the inception of the program in 2000, more than 574 children have aired, of which 299 have finalized adoptions and 57 now have identified adoptive families and are working toward finalization. Additionally, more than 11,000 families have inquired about becoming a foster or adoptive parent as a result of seeing the segments. This feature is slated to air August 2010.
