Public Affairs to again film holiday greetings

This time of year, many families start to get together for the holidays.

For service members stationed far from home, though, it may not be that easy.

At Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the Public Affairs Office offers military members and their families the opportunity to connect by recording a holiday greeting for their family back home.

“Providing the medium for service members to give their loved ones the comfort they need over the holidays is very rewarding,” said Senior Airman Jared Bunn, a 673d Air Base Wing public affairs broadcaster.

“In the military, service members don’t always have the opportunity to see their families face-to-face,

but we’re here to help close the distance.”

This year, the holiday greetings will take place at several locations on four different days; Dec. 2 at the JBER Base Exchange from 2 to 6 p.m.; Dec. 5 at the JBER-Richardson Starbucks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dec. 7 at the Arctic Oasis from 2 to 6 p.m.; and Dec. 8 at the JBER Base Exchange from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Rupprecht, 673d Aerospace Medical Squadron, participated in holiday greetings in the past with his wife, Amber, and their three children.

“It was fun way to send a holiday message to our relatives back home in Pennsylvania and Florida,”

Rupprecht said. “The family in both areas enjoyed seeing the video on TV and we had many friends that we didn’t anticipate seeing it contact us because of it.”

No appointment is necessary, but military members must be in uniform to record a holiday greeting.

“Our work is extremely important because we know how much it will mean to their families back home,” Bunn said. “I really look forward to it every year.”