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“I’ve joked before that when I first got to Tinker my main friends were the workers at the DFAC [dining facility] who I briefly spoke to during my mealtimes.”
Senior Airman Hugo Gutierrez (RG), an Oklahoma Air Logistics Complex contract specialist, arrived at Tinker Air Force Base four years ago and was new to the Air Force and brand new to the state of Oklahoma. For many first term Airmen it can be difficult to find friends and settle into a new environment for the first time, but RG found a community very quickly.
“I’m somewhat of an introvert but I like to be social so the Home Away From Home program interested me for that reason,” said RG. “I had heard about it from my First Term Airman briefing and I thought it was cool to be able to meet people in a non-military setting and relax and have fun.”
The Home Away From Home program is available at Tinker AFB for all Airmen but primarily advertises to First Term Airmen to be able to make friends and develop personal and professional skills. RG was able to make Airmen friends through the program and continued to visit his Home Away From Home host parents Mike and Pam Kloiber to build his social resiliency and soon after picked up other skills along the way.
“I’ve really learned how to manage my personal finances through Mike,” said RG. “I’ve talked about accounting with him, and they’ve really helped push me in the right direction to make sure I’m not overspending and that I’m being smart with my money. I’ve been able to responsibly buy two different cars during my time in the Air Force.”
Even without personally asking for development RG started learning even more due to the community he was immersed into.
“There was a home buying brief within the last year because there were a lot of people who were in the program looking to buy a house,” said RG. “Pam really listens to us and incorporates our feedback when it comes to personal and professional development.”
For Airmen to be successful they must be postured for success and a key part of that is to maintain Airmen resilience. RG has found a way to maintain his resilience to stay mission ready by finding a support group to help him when he falters.
“There was a critical moment where I was going through some mental problems that I couldn't figure out due to my lack of experience,” said RG. “Being able to bounce ideas off them I was able to see their wisdom in a new light, beyond just seeing how they cook or their financial expertise, I knew they had my back no matter what.”
RG continues to look towards Mike and Pam for guidance and he's found another set of parents that he knows will support him.
“Mike and Pam have essentially become my second set of parents. They've even met my actual parents and they both get along really well. Pam will even send gifts to my mom when I go back home and my mom will send gifts to Pam on the way back. They love each other and I really feel like Mike and Pam love me as if I was one of their own children.”
Tinker is happy to have Airmen like RG who can focus on accomplishing the mission every day and he is capable of doing so because of the support group that he built himself through the Home Away From Home program.
“I feel like being in the program has inspired me and it's definitely given me the extra willpower to continue for another four years and probably another four after that.”
RG will continue to push through his career due to his experiences through the Home Away From Home program and he hopes that other Airmen will be able to experience the same thing.
“I really think it should be looked at Air Force wide, in terms of giving people the opportunity to feel at home,” said RG. “It's nice to be able to see my parents once or twice a year but having people right down the street who care about me is just as important.”
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2024 10:29 |
| Story ID: | 482559 |
| Location: | TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Finding a Home Away From Home, by SrA Adrian Salazar, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
