National Guard families embrace changing seasons with Fall Festival on JBER

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (KTUU) - While many Alaskans are weary of seeing the summer months fade into the rear view, the Alaska National Guard celebrated the change of season earlier this month.

With a cool crisp in the air and a consistent scattering of rain falling with the leaves, Guard families gathered outside Alaska National Guard Joint Force Headquarters for the inaugural Fall Festival.

Booths consisting of fall-themed activities had children bowling with pumpkins and building scarecrows with their parents, as a horse-drawn carriage took families on hay rides around the parking lot.

Every 15 minutes or so, a siren from one of the fire trucks on display would sound, signaling that pumpkins were about to be launched by two trebuchets built by the Alaska Army National Guard’s 910th Engineer Support Company — a crowd favorite.

The event was planned and hosted by the AKNG’s Child & Youth Program. The support resource helps children of Guard families navigate all phases of military life while offering a chance to meet other children facing similar situations.

The program’s lead coordinator, Suzie Mauro, said the contracted National Guard program exists in all 54 states and territories and is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

“We are charged with providing resources, activities and events for National Guard dependents all over the state,” Mauro said. “We’re based here out of JBER, but we do everything we can to reach families from Bethel to Ketchikan to Kodiak, Barrow, and everywhere in between — so it’s a huge undertaking.”

Mauro said the program brings National Guard children together to draw on their unique experiences as children of active duty parents, whose service is a full-time job.

Siblings 16-year-old Molly and 12-year-old Declan McBride are active on the Child and Youth Council. They said the council has greatly helped them connect with other kids with similar experiences.

“It’s a really good, feel-good moment to know that you’re not the only kid that their parent just will leave for like nine months,” Molly said.

Molly, who is currently the program president, said she and Declan are fortunate their dad has only been deployed a few times.

Declan said he’s attended the program’s camps for several years.

“I’ve seen other kids in the military who are going through the same thing, and have gone through the same thing,” Declan said. “It’s really fun to, like, talk and just share stories.”

According to Molly, their father is retired now — but both feel it’s important to stay involved to help other kids.

Alaska Air Guardsman Samantha Smith attended the September festival with her three daughters in tow — Ava, Aleah and Ariah.

Smith has been serving as the Commander Support Staff for the Joint Force Headquarters for over a year and said she’s grateful to serve an organization that celebrates the families of service members.

“We do a lot of things that support the state,” Smith said. “To showcase that and to have our family be a part of that, and show the appreciation and have the involvement, it’s so important.”

Alaska Army Guardsman Jordan Gray and his wife, Jessica, attend every event that they’re able to with their son, Jude.

Jordan said serving in the military is a family effort, and the National Guard recognizes that through these types of programs.

“When I’m working, [Jessica’s] working,” he said as Jude tried to wiggle out of his arms to go play. “That’s just the way it is to be a partner of a Guardsman, so it’s great to be rewarded and enjoy it in this way and remind ourselves of, you know, that it’s for us too.”

Mauro said she was thrilled by the turnout despite the rainy weather, and hopes the fall festival will become an annual event on the installation.

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