DePLAYment program ends, Tinker leads way for Air Force

Published Aug. 27, 2010
By Charlie Lewis
72nd Force Support Squadron

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The DePLAYment program officially ended July 31 and Tinker led the way for the Air Force spending almost $200,000 on nearly 900 enrolled families.

Though the program was slated to roll out in July 2009, it didn't reach bases until January of this year. The late start didn't slow Tinker down. Senior leadership base-wide helped ensure the word was making it out to everyone eligible for the program.

Tinker finished with 895 families participating and 3,141 individual tags distributed in the Year of the Air Force Family program, which was created to entice the families of deployed Airmen to get out and play often. The next closest base had 530 families enrolled.

Each Air Force base received two "pots" of money for the program. The first pot was to provide children of deployed members free classes and sports programs and hourly child care during the parent's deployment. The second was to provide free and discounted family programs for either the family left at home during deployment or to use upon return of the member.

Tinker received a total of $180,000 -- $90,000 in each pot -- to spend on the families here. Of the $90,000 allocated for Child and Youth Programs, Tinker spent $89,683.50. Every cent of the money allocated for family recreation programs was spent and the base received an additional $30,000. Of the additional money, Tinker used $20,198.65. That is a total of $199,882.15 spent on Tinker families in a six-and-half month time frame.

Where was all of this money spent? More than 500 individuals took part of the Get Out To The Pool program, 270 families signed up for Tinker Days at the Museum, 635 individuals signed up for Tinker Days at White Water/Frontier City and 234 families signed up for Tinker Days at the Zoo. Seventy-five people took advantage of instructional classes at the Arts and Crafts Center, while more than 100 others took advantage of the stay safe car care program. One hundred sixty individuals participated in the massage therapy and more than 300 children were enrolled in Tae Kwon Do, Dance, Baseball, Basketball, T-Ball and Smart Start.

This program shows the Air Force is committed to the community which is comprised of the people, programs and facilities. People programs directly impact warfighting capability and retention. One child wrote, "Our parents get to help our country because of DePLAYment."

DePLAYment clearly put the Air Force on a wartime footing in the family programming. One participant in the program wrote, "The program really offered a lot of opportunities while my husband has been gone. It has made this deployment easier. Thanks!"

Tinker ended the DePLAYment program with two final events. The first was Surf's Up pool party, which was attended by 289 individuals.

The second event was A Night at the Museum which was attended by 519 individuals. Jennifer Maynard summed it up best when she wrote, "DePLAYment has given our family a wealth of resources that helped us through Daddy being gone. It also gave us resources to help us play as a family upon his return. As a bonus, it has helped our squadron spouses bond as a family while the active duty folks were gone. Thank you."

"An Airman's deployment is really a family's deployment," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, who together with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz named July 2009 to July 2010 the Year of the Air Force Family. "Airmen expect us to provide a stable environment for them and their families. And, doing so is part of our heritage and culture."