JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- The 433rd Security Forces Squadron hosted a combat dining-in for the 433rd Airlift Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Chapman Training Annex, Texas, Sept.10.
With 267 members from across the wing in attendance, smaller groups participated in friendly competitions of obstacle courses, water gun challenges, water balloon fights and a grog bowl reveal.
Tech. Sgt. Venus Rich, 433rd SFS squad leader, was the event committee lead.
“I started working on a combat dining-in in 2019, but all unit training assemblies during that time were canceled leading up to the height of the pandemic, so we canceled it,” said Rich. “Once I came back from my deployment in February of this year, I was asked to plan the combat dining-in again.”
According to Rich, the combat dining-in committee helped organize the event, but there were many collaborators responsible for taking the idea out of the planning stage and into fruition.
“Without security forces members, there is no way this event would have been successful,” said Rich. “About 80 members from the unit had their hands helping at one point or another. I love my security forces family for everything they have done for our unit and the wing.”
Commanders and senior enlisted leaders were in attendance during the festivities, as well, to encourage an atmosphere of camaraderie, good fellowship and social rapport.
Participants sported an array of different combinations of flight-suits, battle dress uniforms, Airman battle uniforms, occupational camouflage pattern uniforms, face paint, headbands and Rambo-style accouterments during the event.
Senior Airman Mariah Moreno, an aerospace medical technician from the 433rd Medical Squadron, was one of the many Airmen in attendance.
“It exceeded my expectations,” said Moreno. “It was nice to have the chance to interact with different units that I ordinarily wouldn't meet outside of my responsibilities as a medical technician. You can see how much work they put into this to make it a success.”
The vision of the 433rd AW is to train adaptive, resilient and ready Airmen through healthy competition and ceremonial festivities.