AFN Kunsan brings the Wolf Pack “home”

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mackenzie Mendez
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The Wolf Pack is home to more than 2,500 service members, eight of which are helping Wolf Pack service members get a little taste of home each and every day.

American Forces Network Kunsan is a joint organization, helping commanders maintain readiness and morale through the dissemination of fun, engaging and informative content on the radio, social media and television.

“AFN serves as an important tool for commanders because we are a direct link to Kunsan Airmen,” said Staff Sgt. AJ Duprey, AFN Kunsan video NCO in charge. “Commanders can come to our radio shows every week to talk about their priorities, share important news and give shout-outs to the entire base.”

The in-studio radio segments also give commanders and other wing leaders the opportunity to "facetime" with the Wolf Pack in a way that can be fun and engaging for everyone, said Duprey.
AFN as a whole provides U.S. radio and television news, information and entertainment programming to Department of Defense personnel and their families while stationed overseas.

There are AFN stations located around the world in places such as Turkey, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. All AFN locations are managed under the Defense Media Activity located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

AFN Kunsan falls under AFN Pacific, headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. They work to help communicate command messages from U.S. Forces Korea, 7th Air Force and 8th Fighter Wing leaders.

In addition to radio, AFN Kunsan operates a video production section where Airmen and Soldiers create videos highlighting members of the Wolf Pack to communicate their stories across the AFN television network and social media.

“Communication is huge. Without it, we wouldn’t exist,” said Master Sgt. Ashley Manz, AFN Kunsan affiliate manager. “We’re here to tell the Wolf Pack story and have a pretty sweet gig because of how phenomenal Kunsan Airmen are.”

AFN Kunsan also maintains a technical services section to ensure the equipment used to produce and broadcast is functioning properly.

“We make sure the servers that run our broadcasting software are up and running properly,” said Staff Sgt. Cameron Cook, AFN Kunsan broadcast maintenance manager. “We also coordinate with our counterparts at Camp Humphreys to ensure our broadcasters can continue to produce products across the peninsula.”

Without the technical services section, AFN’s ability to communicate and disseminate essential information from senior leaders to Airmen and Soldiers across the base would be hindered, said Cook.

AFN amplifies the reach of military and community leaders’ command messages, while maintaining an engaging atmosphere with trivia, games and the top music hits in the U.S., keeping the Wolf Pack connected.

“It’s nice to have a sense of home while you’re stationed at a remote location,” said Manz. “By keeping military men and women serving overseas informed, whether its timely U.S. news or keeping them culturally in touch with current trends, we take pride in being the connection to home.”