R4R helping Airmen stay resilient through Outdoor Rec

Photo By Staff Sgt. Sean Campbell | Neal Mader, 92nd Force Support Squadron Outdoor Recreation program guide, and Senior Airman Tyler Connell, 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, share skiing stories during an Outdoor Recreation trip Dec. 18, 2016, at 49 Degrees North Ski Resort, Wash. Outdoor Recreation is in the business of “making people’s vacations,” but it is also in the business of helping people with resilience, social interaction and experiencing the local area’s great outdoors. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)  

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

01.27.2017

Story by Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell 

92nd Air Refueling Wing

Outdoor Recreation is able to offer more than 250 trips a year at a very small charge to Airmen and their families because of the “Recharge for Resiliency” program. The R4R program provides supplemental funding to programs that help with resilience, retention and recruitment.

“The Air Force came up with this phenomenal supplemental funding program based on research on returning deployers,” said Damien Smith, 92nd Force Support Squadron Outdoor Recreation director. “The Air Force said we needed a program for resilience, for retention, recruitment and a program that is going to help deescalate high-adrenaline combat zone types of emotion.”

Prior to the Outdoor Recreation program, there were numerous returning deployers who faced issues with suicide and depression, said Smith
Smith described some of those suicides as “involuntary suicides,” which is when people perform high adrenaline, high-risk activities in order to cope with returning from a deployed environment and end up severely injuring themselves or worse.
Outdoor Recreation provides activities like rock climbing, cycling, scuba diving, sky diving, skiing, rafting and many others for Airmen and their families. .

“I think Fairchild's Outdoor Recreation Program is absolutely amazing,” said Senior Airman Max Dunevant, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander support staff. “The staff members are motivated, determined to make the programs work and dedicated to ensure everyone's safety. Our Outdoor Recreation program is something everyone should check out and utilize. The trips are affordable, brilliantly organized and a down-right exhilarating time.”

For more information on getting involved with Outdoor Recreation program and what they provide call [phone] or check out their website: http://www.fairchildfun.com/oap.html

• Date Taken: 01.27.2017
• Date Posted: 01.27.2017 16:10
• Story ID: 221687
• Location: FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, WASHINGTON, US