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Creech personnel, families participate in COPE retreat

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alice Moore
  • 432d Wing Public Affairs
CREECH AFB Nev. (ACCNS) --  In an effort to help Airmen and their families manage military life and the stresses of intense military operations at Creech, the 432d Wing chaplain's office here hosted a COPE retreat Labor Day weekend in Mesquite, Nev. 

COPE stands for Connecting spouses, families, friends of Airmen with each other, squadron support structures, and base agencies; Organizing wing resources to meet real needs of families; Providing fun and relaxing opportunities to Airmen and their families; and Educating Airmen in strengthening their important life relationships, and is an Air Force-wide chapel sponsored program, said Chaplain (Capt.) David Kelley, 432d Wing Chaplain. 

"There is a need for events like this because many of our Airmen and families have found the high operations tempo at Creech to be stressful coupled with the fledgling support structure currently at Creech," Chaplain Kelley said. "Airmen feel disconnected from certain support services because Creech is currently limited in some services and the Nellis services are just too far away for many of them. All of this can put intense strain on important relationships including the marital relationship." 

Chaplain Kelley said that during the retreat, all participants received two nights of lodging and free food thanks to a grant provided to the wing from Air Combat Command. 

Participants were able to attend four blocks of relationship sustainment training as well as attend chat blocks tailored specifically for spouses and children ages nine and above. During the chat blocks, family members were able to get together for their own discussion groups and talk about issues facing them as a member of a military family. 

Retreat participants also got to participate in various events such as bowling, swimming, miniature-golf and family photos. 

"The retreat enabled participants to get connected with each other with more support structures such as family members and friends, relax from the daily grind of operations tempo, receive training on building relationships and connect with other military families," he said. 

Chaplain Kelley said the retreat was a huge success, hitting the mark with all of its intended objectives. The retreat attendees said they would definitely recommend the retreat to others. 

Master Sgt. Daniel Kuepper, 432d Operations Support Squadron weather flight superintendent, said the retreat was a great opportunity that provided him and his family an opportunity to get out of town, relax, and enjoy the encouraging programs sponsored by the Chaplain's office here. 

"Our jobs are demanding. Not quite the same as if we were deployed, but we're in a unique situation here at Creech. This retreat is a great alternative to a lot of what Las Vegas has to offer in terms of spiritual uplifting," Sergeant Kuepper said. "Overall, I'm glad we went and hope they keep this going so others can enjoy it too."