Picnic

Three teams participate in the wife/girlfriend carry/ From left are 1st Lt. Jeffrey Beene, 341st MIssile Security Forces Squadron CCE and his wife, Erin; Chief Master Sgt. Duane Buchie, 341st Medical Group superintendent, and his wife, Lynn; and Daniel Christian and his wife, Brittany, Buchie's family members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Cortney Paxton)

Team Malmstrom members fully enjoy annual picnic

Published Sept. 6, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Katrina Heikkinen
341st Missile Wing Public Affairs

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The annual base picnic kicked off Aug. 26 at Sun Plaza Park with an abundance of free food, games and music.

Malmstrom personnel and their families came out for the base-wide event. Some took advantage of the pool, as admission was free from 1 to 2 p.m., while others chose to partake in the Grizzly Challenge which consisted of a tug-of-war, a ruck-pack race, a girlfriend carry and the main event consisting of a 50-pound weight carry and tire flip.

Free cameoflage face-painting was just one of many activities offered to children as part of the junior deployment camp, which created an opportunity for children to experience the deployment process.

"We try to simulate what a deployment is like for the children of the parents here," said Kathy Desy, Chief of Airman and Family Services with the 341st FSS. "They in-process, pick up supplies, get their immunizations, and when they're done they get a bag of goodies- complete with an MRE (meal ready-to-eat).This is our fourth year and we usually get about 250 to 300 children participating. We always get positive feedback."

The children were given passports, notebooks, deployment books and radios. They were also given the challenge of finding coordinates with the help of a compass.

But the simulated deployment wasn't just for children- it was for parents too.

"We also gave the children recordable stuffed animals; that way, the child can hear their parent's voice no matter where they're deployed," Desy said.

Behind the raffles and giveaway booth was a car show put together by Randy Keirn, auto hobby manager with the 341st FSS.

"There are nine classes of cars and we usually get a good turnout. It's great (the car show); it always gets people together, gets them talking and making new friends," Keirn said.

The first place winner for each class received $100 cash; second and third place winners received trophies. The best paint trophy went to Senior Master Sgt. Michael Primo, first sergeant with the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, for his 1963 Ford Fairlane. The Best in Show trophy went to Ted Baker, heavy equipment operator with the 341st Civil Engineering Squadron, for his 1971 Pontiac GTO.

For many, the picnic was a leisurely time to mingle in the company of friends and family. Plenty of hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream kept Team Malmstrom content on the hot Friday afternoon.

"We're anticipating serving food to 2,200 to 2,400 people today," said Gordon Johnson, Vice Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee in Great Falls.

The man-hours that went into making the picnic happen were extensive. It's clear that the members of Team Malmstrom is thankful to the community that makes it happen year after year.

"We work side by side with military personnel to make this possible for Malmstrom members and their families," Johnson said. "The purpose of the picnic is for us (MAC) and Great Falls to express our appreciation to the military personnel, and our hope is to create fond memories for them and this- the picnic- is just one small part of being able to do that."