JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md –
Every service member faces the likelihood of a deployment during their military career. The stress of being in an intense and possibly hostile work environment for an extended period of time, along with being away from family and friends, is a lot to ask of someone. This is where the Andrews Outdoor Recreation Center comes into play.
Outdoor rec offers a plethora of adventurous activities to get involved in for Team Andrews members with its new RecOn program.
"RecOn is an Air Force initiative designed to address the challenges of deployed Airmen returning to their home base," said Alison Mabins, Outdoor Recreation Center Director. "The objective is to replace combat adrenaline with safe, organized and adventurous activities. It also provides a recreational outlet as a stress reliever for active-duty members, their families, and reservists, no matter the branch."
Service members don't have to be deployed to take advantage of RecOn, all men and women in uniform could potentially deploy, therefore qualify. This family-focused event is similar to one aimed at getting single service members out of the dorms and into the wild.
"Like RecOn, the Single Airmen and Sailor's program goals are to provide 11th Force Support Squadron resources that foster a strong culture, mission and sense of community for service members," said Mabins. "In this case, the key audience is active duty or air reserve component officer or enlisted members without a spouse."
According to the outdoor rec, the more popular activities offered include: sky diving, white water rafting, rock climbing, scuba diving, ski, snow boarding and zip lining.
"My first trip was going sky diving last weekend," said Jordan Murphy, Outdoor Recreation Specialist. "(The RecOn Program) is awesome! The experiences and prices we provide make the activities worthwhile, and this place gave me that opportunity."
RecOn also allows eligible customers the opportunity to enjoy activities at either zero cost at all, or at a 50 percent discount. Outdoor rec has designed programs for everyone to enjoy from fishing trips to zip lining.
An upcoming available event is white water rafting from July 26-28. All interested service members must sign up by July 12. For more information, visit the Outdoor Recreation page at
http://www.andrewsfss.com/index.html, or call 301-981-4109/5663.