A&FRC is here to help

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kyle Johnson
  • 374th AW PA
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  
Service members and their families crowded into the main room in the Airman & Family Readiness Center last week. Every seat was full and floor space was at a premium.
It was time to take the driver’s test.

“We were prepared for 100 people,” said Sonya Meier, chief of the Airman and Readiness Flight, 374th Force Support Squadron. “146 showed up, but we provided the opportunity for everyone. We know how important this is, so we do everything we can to accommodate that for people.”

The A&FRC is a one-stop shop for service members, civilian personnel and their families to find the resources they need to get everything they want out of their time here, Meier said.

The center provides the exceptional family member programs, key spouse programs, programs that can assist in transitioning out of the military, relocating to a new duty station, or relocating to this one.

The first A&FRC program people usually get to see is the Right Start program – an all-inclusive, two-day class that handles the bulk of in-processing requirements for new Yokota arrivals. The program is run by Roger Pratt, 374th FSS A&FRC community readiness specialist.

“[The class] provides people with the resources they need to get acclimated in the beginning so they can be successful for their years here,” Pratt said.

Over the two days of the class, briefers come in one after another -- while attendees enjoy complimentary coffee and doughnuts – and explain the different services available to Yokota personnel. There’s even a community fair where 45 representatives from organizations all across base, who weren’t able to brief, set up a display to show what they can offer.

The class -- much like the A&FRC -- is extensive, but the big attraction is the driver’s test.

On the second day of the class, everyone in attendance, plus quite a few more, are briefed on the rules of driving in Japan and how they apply on base. Then they take a timed, open-book test on the subject. It’s through this, one can earn the freedom of four wheels in Japan.

The program also offers a cultural adaptation briefing where chopstick etiquette, traveling etiquette and general expectations are briefly explained. A few important Japanese phrases are reviewed as well.
Each part of the cultural adaptation briefing has a more in-depth class offered by the A&FRC that interested parties can take to learn things like Japanese cooking, the basics of the Japanese language and etiquette.

“Every resource pertinent to your life is here [at the A&FRC,]” Meier said. “If we don’t have it, we can send you to the right place to get it. Right start is much the same.”