Photo By Staff Sgt. Lonnie Wiram | Members of the Indiana Air National Guard, 181st Intelligence Wing pose for a group...... read more read more
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HULMAN FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. — Airmen from the 181st Intelligence Wing competed in a basketball tournament August 4 at Hulman Field Air National Guard Base.
Six teams, comprised of Airmen and civilian contractors from multiple units assigned to the 181st IW, participated in the base-wide, three-on-three tournament.
We had everyone from the 181st Medical Group to the 137th Intelligence Squadron show up for the tournament, said U.S. Air Force Maj. Patrick. There was a mix of full-time Airmen and drill-status Guardsmen who participated. We also had a good range of ages, from 19 to 62 years old, playing basketball.
A retired chief master sergeant who served with the 181st IW, was glad to see the return of an old wing tradition.
“We did this tournament for many years during annual training,” said Arlen Eiteljorge, the retired Racer and current civilian contractor with the 181st IW. “We started back in 1980 and played everywhere from Alpena to Norway. But it was hard to keep the tournament going after the wing changed to the intelligence mission around 2005. I’m glad they put it back on.”
To recognize the restart of the tradition, members of the 181st IW gathered funds to purchase a trophy and build a winner’s shelf at the multi-purpose facility at Hulman Field to display the trophy. The winning team will carry the trophy from the basketball court to the club, said Patrick. They will hoist the trophy over their heads and place it on the shelf to celebrate their victory.
To some, the tournament was more than just an opportunity to play basketball. It was an opportunity to build camaraderie with fellow Airmen.
“The tournament puts together people from all over the base who might not know each other,” said Eiteljorge. “It’s a good teambuilding experience.”
Indeed, the tournament presented an opportunity for Airmen with the 181st IW to interact with others from different units. Airmen are trained as early as Basic Military Training to treat each other like family. This notion is especially true in Air National Guard units, where servicemembers may spend their entire time in uniform with a single unit. Events like the tournament provide just one of many ways for Racers to get together as family and strengthen the bonds of military brotherhood and sisterhood both in and out of uniform.
(In accordance with current Air Force guidance, the last name of 181st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group members have been omitted).
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2018 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 289969 |
| Location: | TERRE HAUTE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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