MacDill Junior Enlisted get wined and dined

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Adam C. Borgman
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
TAMPA, Fla. --  Nearly 45 junior enlisted Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., boarded a Star Light Cruise yacht, March 12, at the Port of Tampa.

Hosted by the MacDill Alliance, this is the seventh annual enlisted meet and greet reception connecting young military embers with leaders in the local community aboard a yacht.

"This is a great opportunity for our ranks," said Staff Sgt. Alyssa Thorn, 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, medical technician and 927th Junior Enlisted Advisory Council, Vice President. "It is not often the junior enlisted get mentorship from senior leaders, specifically from the local community. The relationships started today could follow us though our careers making us better leaders."

Throughout the career of a young person many people can influence which path they choose to take. With many Airmen early in their careers living in the dorms, interaction with community leaders can be limited.

"One of our goals with this program is to offer an opportunity for a young service member to look back on this and remember that one person they met on that boat while they were stationed at MacDill," said Teresa Foss, Vice Chairman, MacDill Alliance. "There are many organizations here locally who give back to the military, but we saw a need that focused on the junior enlisted, specifically those who live in the dorms and may not normally have this opportunity."

The MacDill Alliance is an organization the consists of a group of community leaders who have a strong commitment to supporting our service members at MacDill AFB. For more information on MacDill Alliance go to the MacDill Alliance Facebook page.