46th Annual Sportsmen Feed fosters camaraderie at Minot

Published Jan. 27, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez
5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The 46th Annual Team Minot Sportsmen Feed, designed to bring service and community members together, was held at Minot AFB's Jimmy Doolittle Center Jan. 23.

Air Force Global Strike Command and Team Minot Airmen from all ranks interacted with their fellow community members all while enjoying exquisite wild game dishes ranging from Arctic salmon to oven-roasted mallard duck.

The Sportsmen Feed also gave attendees an opportunity to win door prizes and other rewards by competing in bingo and other games.

Col. Douglas Cox, 5th Bomb Wing commander, talked about the open dialogue the base shares with the Minot community through events such as this one.

"The Sportsmen Feed represents almost five decades of outreach our base has had with the local community," the colonel said. "It also goes to show how the local community is always engaged in helping take care of our Airmen."

Betty Fedorchak, a local business owner and member of the Minot Chamber of Commerce, said the Minot community has done its best to engage with base personnel and build better relationships.

"The City of Minot has absolutely enjoyed having Minot AFB in our community," she said. "Our community members have such respect for our uniformed service members and this event offers an opportunity for us to give back to the base."

Ms. Fedorchak said the long hours the volunteers put into making this event possible is testament to the community's desire to show their support for base personnel.

"The Sportsmen Feed brings out the best from both our community members and Airmen on base," said Ms. Fedorchak. "The volunteer efforts going into making this event possible are astounding."

John MacMartin, Minot Chamber of Commerce president, said none of this would've been possible without the support of the base leadership.

"This whole event is a combined effort," said Mr. MacMartin. "We do our part downtown in gathering volunteers and the base helps spread the word."

First sergeants play a key role in this event because they are the ones bringing the enthusiasm to Airmen and invite them to come see what the event is all about, said Mr. MacMartin.

He said it was exciting to see the event unfold and witness a diverse group of people come together.

"Base personnel come from all across the country," said Mr. MacMartin. "Those who come from distinct areas perhaps haven't had the chance to sample some of the native dishes North Dakota has to offer."

Chief Master Sgt. Martin K. Smith, 5th BW command chief, agreed with Mr. MacMartin in that many Airmen come from different areas around the country and this event gives them an opportunity to taste the various wild game North Dakota has to offer.

"It was a neat weekend to come out and enjoy some of North Dakota's best dishes," said Chief Smith.

He expressed his gratitude to the Minot COC and Military Affairs Committee, as well as, all of the others involved in managing and sponsoring the event.

"This is really a great opportunity for our Air Force community to come together with those in the Minot community and get to know one another," said Chief Smith.

Mr. MacMartin said the overall main goal was to increase the participation between the base personnel and community members.

"We think it's important we interact with the service members on base because it builds good camaraderie," said Mr. MacMartin. "The Sportsmen Feed has been going on for a very long time and we want to keep the tradition going."

Mr. MacMartin said at the end of the day, the leftover food would be packaged in trays and sent over to the base shift workers who were unable to attend the due to the requirements of the base's 24-hour mission.