DOBBINS AIR RESERVE, Ga. -- DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. – The sun shines brightly over Dobbins Air Reserve Base as children point excitedly to rides and games, leading their uniformed parents by the hand. Crowds gather on the flight line for the return of Family Day, eager to enjoy an afternoon of fun.
Dobbins hosted its annual Family Day on the flightline Sept. 7, 2024. Service members brought their families to enjoy a variety of activities, including carnival games, trackless train rides, live music and food. It allowed airmen to get out of work early for the day to spend time with their families as well as get to know their fellow airmen’s families.
“The 94th Airlift Wing Family Day was an opportunity for leadership at Dobbins to thank our airmen and families for their service and sacrifice to our nation and the Air Force Reserve,” said Col. Michael Parks, 94th Airlift Wing commander. “It gave our airmen a chance to showcase their Air Force mission contributions to family members.”
For many airmen assigned to Dobbins, it was their first time attending this event.
“First impression, it’s pretty good,” said Senior Airman Taysia Passmore, a 94th Civil Engineer Squadron operations manager. “It’s the perfect weather, the location is perfect, the vibes are good. I would like to come back next year.”
Family Day is an opportunity for airmen to bring their families onto base and let them have a glimpse at what their family member does on duty.
Tech Sgt. Chris Hall, a 700th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, was able to give his wife, Kelsey, an up-close look at a C-130.
“I’m always telling my wife stories about UTAs and TDYs (Temporary Duty),” said Hall. “Having her out here to see the stuff and having those ‘aha!’ moments have been rewarding. I think after this weekend, it’ll make a lot more sense when I’m telling her a story about something I did in a C-130 or on base.”
Family Day is another way the Wing can promote our Airman and Family Advantage, which is Wing Priority A of Dobbins ARB’s new strategy. By taking time to recognize the contributions of airmen in front of their families, the Wing is further committing to the care and preservation of this advantage.
“While the 94th Airlift Wing had a solid 2023 Family Day event, the 2024 event surpassed Chief Master Sgt. Gray’s and my expectations and delivered the quality result our airmen and families deserve,” said Parks. “With that said, if our airmen thought 2024 was a fun event, just wait until 2025. You will regret not bringing your family to Family Day 2025!”