Teen in region connects youth of AF families


The Vindicator

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Lauren and Martin Tancer, 16 and 13, respectively, of Sewickley, Pa., live weekends in East Palestine with their father, Maj. David Andrew “Drew” Tancer, director of operations for the 757th Squadron of the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, and their stepmother, Tech. Sgt. Skye Tancer, a flight engineer with the 757th. Lauren is a member of the national Air Force Reserve Teen Leadership Council.

By William K. Alcorn

alcorn@vindy.com

VIENNA

Lauren Tancer, 16-year-old daughter of Maj. David “Drew” Tancer, director of operations for the 757th Squadron of the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, is a national leader in connecting teens of Air Force families.

Lauren, whose stepmother is Tech. Sgt. Skye Tancer, a flight engineer with the 757th, was selected as the Air Force Reserve’s representative on the newly formed, 11-member Air Force Teen Council.

Lauren and her brother, Martin, live with their mother, Lisa Fadden, in Sewickley, Pa., and spend weekends in East Palestine with their father and stepmother.

She said she wished there had been teens with whom she could have talked when her father and stepmother were deployed to the Middle East, at one point at the same time.

“I feel if we had been around other teens going through the same thing it would have made the deployments easier. This is why the teen council was created, because our leaders saw the need for teens to be around each other,” she said.

The council’s goal is to bridge the gap between Air Force teens and the Air Force and Air Force Reserve and create groups and opportunities for the teens to get together and know one another other and make new friends.

“It is much easier to go through things like deployment when you have people around you who have gone through the same things,” Lauren said.

For information about the Air Force Teen Council and other youth programs, visit www.afyouthprograms.com. or follow the council on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Air-Force-Teen-Council/144161568963791.