24/7 gym access granted to retirees, dependents

  • Published
  • By Airman Dennis Spain
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD. Fla. --  “Work out when it works for you,” as the 1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron would say.

To invest in the physical resiliency of the force and family, the Commando Fitness Center staff began issuing access cards to dependents and retirees Sept. 16, providing after-hour gym access, including weekends.

The system is similar to the Aderholt Fitness Center’s 24/7 program, which utilizes a four-to-five, digit PIN.

“Originally, [the program] was started for active duty members who could not get to the gym [such as] shift-workers who worked overnight,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Rydecki, assistant NCO in charge of the Commando Fitness Center with the 1st SOFSS. “We wanted to open the gym to people who didn’t have access, [and] give people the best equipment during the after-hours period.”

For people interested in acquiring an access card, the process begins at the Commando Fitness Center.

Dependents and retirees are required to bring a Department of Defense identification card. Dependents must also bring an active-duty sponsor with a Common Access Card and be at least 18-years-old to qualify.

Tech. Sgt. Christian Farin, NCOIC of the Commando Fitness Center with the 1st SOFSS, described the benefits of the after-hour access program for Hurlburt’s Air Commandos, their families and the Air Force.

“It promotes team work and doing things together,” Farin said. “It betters not just the family relationship, [but] the Air Force family [relationship].”

For more information on how to receive an access card, call the Commando Fitness Center at 850-884-4412.