Joint team shows 'warrior spirit' during Jungle Day

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kerry Jackson
  • 13th Air Force Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  Mention "Friday the 13th" and any number of mysterious things come to mind. For 13th Air Force's joint team, the day is about community, camaraderie and good old fashioned competition.

On what was the final Jungle Day of 2009, 13th Air Force's "Jungle Warriors" spent Nov. 13 competing in sports, games and other morale-building activities here. The Jungle Day tradition originated when the organization was assigned to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and gives 13th Air Force members a chance to have fun and give back to the local community every Friday the 13th.

"Jungle Day is something we look forward to in 13th Air Force," said Maj. Linda Vadnais, the 613th Air and Space Operation Center chief of bomber operations and lead planner for this month's Jungle Day. "This is an opportunity for our joint warriors to build upon the camaraderie that makes our unit thrive. It also allows us to give back to the Oahu community that continues to support us."

The day was filled with loads of activities including combat golf, three-on-three basketball, tug-of-war, trivia games, scavenger hunts, bowling and surfing.

During the last Jungle Day in March, 13th Air Force members gave back to the community in neighborhoods throughout Oahu, volunteering in homeless shelters and elementary schools, and cleaning up area beaches and parks. This time the warriors made food donations to the Hawaii Food Bank, which serves 250 charitable agencies representing 289 feeding programs across Oahu.

"Jungle Day is really a lot of fun, whether we're building camaraderie through sports or working in the community," said Staff Sgt. Cuong Dinh, a 13th Air Force communications and knowledge operations manager. "It makes you proud to be a part of a team that really cares about both your organization and the community."

Thirteenth Air Force has observed Jungle Day in Hawaii since 2007. The unit is responsible for command, control and execution of air, space, and information operations capabilities across the full range of military operations in the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility, excluding the Korea theater of operations.