Now, there’s a one-stop site on the Internet meant to make that introduction — the new Wright Patterson Air Force Base Newcomers site.
Bob Purtiman, a spokesman for Wright-Patterson, said it’s hard to quantify how many new arrivals the base welcomes.
It can be a lot. Purtiman said he has seen welcoming sessions at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force with as many as 75 new arrivals and sessions with as few as 15.
“I’ve seen a lot of folks in there,” he said.
He recalls when he was hired for his job as chief of public affairs at the base’s 88th Air Base Wing about five years ago. He didn’t find a lot of resources for those who were new to Wright-Patterson and the Dayton area.
“I couldn’t find kind of what I needed,” he recalled.
Which can be a problem. PCS moves can be stressful enough, especially with children involved. Moving expenses, tracking property and enrolling children in school exact a toll.
The new site is meant to be more than a “digital welcome mat,” the 88th Air Base Wing said in a release — it’s a meant as a convenient connection to people and resources needed to help newcomers feel at home.
Developed with agencies across the base — including the 88th Force Support Squadron, 88th Security Forces Squadron, Military & Family Readiness Center, Civilian Personnel Office, Education & Training, and others — the site consolidates key pieces information.
Here, visitors will find digital doors for those with questions about housing and lodging, health care, education and training, questions that civilian employees will have, family support and a spot for frequently asked questions. A link to a site with info about local schools is a click away.
“We wanted to put all of those in one place,” Purtiman said.
Putting the material under one roof took months of work. But Purtiman doesn’t see the site as complete. He’s open to making changes and improvements as needed.
“I think it’s a living, breathing site,” he said.
Wright-Patterson can be dizzying to newcomers. Split into two sprawling areas, the base covers more than 8,000 acres and is home to nearly 40,000 military and civilian employees. In fact, it’s the largest concentration of employment in one location anywhere in Ohio.
The base is home to crucial (and growing) Air Force missions such as the Air Force Materiel Command headquarters, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the second largest medical center in the Air Force, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and a lot more.
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