AFAD celebrates 50 years of commitment, friendship

  • Published
  • By MSgt Andrew Leonhard
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  More than 5,000 community, base and local people turned out for the 50th anniversary of Air Force Appreciation Day at Carl Miller Park Sept. 11. It also marked the ninth anniversary of 9-11.

Each year the Mountain Home Military Affairs Committee, Chamber of Commerce and community leaders host the event to show their support for military members.

According to Mountain Home Mayor Tom Rist, the annual celebration was a foresight of community leaders 50 years ago.

"Mountain Home is a military community, let there be no doubt about it ... this was to show our appreciation for the United States military, particularly the Air Force that's in our community," said the mayor.

AFAD started off with a base retreat ceremony Sept. 10 that was followed by a corn shucking competition and 5k fun run downtown. The biggest part of AFAD is the parade which has been deemed the largest parade in Idaho, and had more than 200 entries this year. After the parade, there was free food, informational booths and vendors with a little something for everyone at Carl Miller Park.

"Looking from the parade route to the serving lines, it certainly has stacked up to be one of the biggest we've had," said Mayor Rist.

It was the first time for several of the base's leaders to be involved and witness the tight bond between community and base.

"Awesome! What a great day," exclaimed Col. Ronald Buckley, 366th Fighter Wing commander, who attended his first AFAD. "I was overwhelmed by the number of people, both during the parade and also at the picnic."

The colonel called it a class act from beginning to end.

"Can't wait until next year!"

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What to See More Photos? Check Them Out Here!

How to Download Photos:

The best place to download hi-res photos and videos from Mountain Home AFB is the 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs page on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
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Another source to download hi-res photos from the Mountain Home PA is the 366th Fighter Wing Flickr Page
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