Santa Maria Sun / School Scene

Vandenberg gives KUDOS to kids

Local service members’ children got a pre-Thanksgiving treat Nov. 17 at Cocheo Park on Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Kids Understanding Deployment Operations (KUDOS) event taught children and other family members about the deployment process.

Robot on the loose: Children attending the annual Kids Understanding Deployment Operations (KUDOS) event Nov. 17 watched a portable robot move around Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Cocheo Park. KUDOS featured a deployment processing line to help children understand what their parents go through before deployment. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. AIR FORCE BASE/SENIOR AIRMAN LAEL HUSS

Base officials and approximately 50 volunteers created a pretend deployment line, where children were briefed on safety. The kids also received fake spending money, tried on gas masks, and watched personnel operate a portable robot. At the end of the day, they were welcomed back from their deployment by a procession of volunteers waving American flags.

“I thought it was really cool to see what my dad went through when he was getting deployed,” Amaya Favreau, daughter of Tech. Sgt. Timothy Favreau, said in a press release. “I thought [this event] was really fun. I think my favorite part had to be when we were over by the bombs and learned about those. It was the first time I’d tried on a gas mask and I’ve always wanted to try one.”

The Airman and Family Readiness Center, which oversees family programs during deployments, planned KUDOS so children could experience what happens when their parents deploy overseas.