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Community Corner

Hometown Heroes' Day

The Friends of the Airman and Family Readiness, and the
Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve organizations are sponsoring a
Hometown Heroes’ Day honoring the Airmen and Soldiers, families and employers
of Guardsmen at the Horsham Air Guard Station on Oct. 5.



The base will be open to the community for this free event to
recognize the contributions of its base military members, to salute the
sacrifices of their spouses and children and to thank actively engaged civilian
employers of Pennsylvania’s Guardsmen and women.



Military displays from base-assigned Pa. Air National Guard,
Army National Guard and the Army Reserve units will feature equipment and
displays highlighting the broad-spectrum of missions performed here in support
of local, state and federal needs.

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This is the first community invitation to visit the base since
the days of the Willow Grove airshows, last held in 2006 and the final flight
ceremony at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base in March of
2011.



Events, activities and vendor stations scheduled to appear will
appeal to people of all ages. A classic car show, kids talent show, face
painting and a moon bounce. The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society will be
sponsoring an animal adoption program during the course of the day.

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The day will kick off earlier in the day with a 5-kilometer
fun-run, titled the “Heroes 5K on the Runway”, utilizing the historic closed
runway. This event will start at 8 a.m. with registration starting at 7 a.m.
Advance registration forms will also be available online at http://www.hometownhereosday.org.



Musical entertainment on a multi-stage setup and official
presentations to award recipients will be going on throughout the day. Local
food vendor tents will spot the huge ramp formally used for aircraft parking.



Since the base realignment and closure actions in 2005 and
deactivation of the runway, Horsham Air Guard Station has undergone a vast
number of changes.



“This is an excellent opportunity to involve the surrounding
community”, said 111th Fighter Wing Commander, Col. Howard “Chip” Eissler.“
Although our roles in state and federal defense missions had to change over the
years, our commitment to the community has remained solid. Our people are proud
of the jobs they do every day. The evolving missions here are equally as
important to the area and defense of the U.S. even though the footprint of the
base has changed dramatically.”



“It’s important to recognize our Airmen and families, to show
our appreciation for their dedication and service”, said Anna Richar, program
manager for the 111thFighter Wing’s Airman and Family Readiness office. “We
want to open our doors to the community to inform them of our ongoing
accomplishments. Our goal is to build and re-enforce relationships with the
surrounding townships and community citizens.”



“The local employers and businesses of our Guard and Reserve
personnel make sacrifices as well”, said Theresa Arentzen, base ESGR Program
Support Technician. “We’re going to be recognizing them for the hardships they
encounter while their valued employees are deployed or called to other military
obligations. It’s their flexibility and support that makes the citizen-soldiers
concept work.”



For everyone’s safety and security: vehicles, bags, backpacks,
camera bags, purses, strollers and the like are subject to search at any number
of checkpoints while entering the base. Prohibited items include: firearms of
any kind, ammunition, explosives, illicit drugs, alcohol and coolers.



For more information about the Hometown Heroes Day or to
preregister for the 5K or to place your vehicle in the car show, visit http://www.hometownheroesday.org.



The base is located
3-miles north on state route 611 off of the Willow Grove Turnpike interchange.
Ample parking and attendance are free to all during the event.
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