Quality of life for Laughlin’s Airmen keeps improving

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  • By 47th Flying Training Wing
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Laughlin enlisted club was filled with happy Airmen Wednesday afternoon when the 127 who reside in the dormitories here received word from the wing commander that their Basic Allowance for Subsistence was doubling to $647.74.

Col. Michael Frankel, 47th Flying Training Wing commander told the unaccompanied Airmen that they were now receiving BAS II. Laughlin will be the only Air Force Base where unaccompanied Airmen receive the additional BAS.

"This additional BAS is really going to improve the quality of food I am able to buy," said Airman 1st Class Billy McGregor, 47th Operations Support Squadron. "I have been limited in the past on what I could afford but now, that should not be an issue."

It was a nearly year-long process that began December of 2009 when Chief Master Sgt. Mike Hanning, 47th FTW command chief, began researching the possibility.

"It was obvious that our Airmen didn't have adequate food storage or preparation facilities," said Chief Hanning. "So, we started looking at what we could do to improve their quality of life."

His research showed that no other air force base received it. "It's primarily given at Naval facilities," Chief Hanning said. However, that didn't deter the chief on his quest.

"Economically, this makes sense because it would still cost us more money to have a dining facility on base," Chief Hanning said.

Finally, Chief Hanning had a convincing package to forward to get approval for the BAS II. The biggest fan for the new sustenance was Col. Frankel.

"The Airmen here are their parents' treasures. It's my goal to be able to show any parent the dormitory and how much we strive to take care of their kids, and be able to do that with pride," said Col. Frankel. "With the little to no cooking facilities available to them, this was the only right thing to do."

The package quickly got a thumbs up at the Air Staff level, enabling Col. Frankel to share the good news with the Airmen who lived in the dormitory.

This news comes on the heels of the opening of the brand new theater room in the dorms. The room contains a high-definition projector and 120-inch screen, 13 leather recliners, a Blu-ray player and surround-sound.

"The theater room is definitely one of the best parts about being stationed at Laughlin," said Airman 1st Class Justin Baez, 47th OSS. "And now that we're receiving BAS II, this has to be one of the best places for a young Airman to be."