Haven offers non-alcoholic refuge for single, unaccompanied people Published Aug. 15, 2011 By Senior Master Sgt. Stuart Camp 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Stress, anxiety and fatigue can shred a person's resolve, but beginning Aug. 19 weary Osan people can now find a sanctuary in the McPherson Community Center lobby. "Haven," a brick-and-mortar Culture of Responsible Choices program, offers a non-alcoholic, pressure-free environment for unaccompanied or single military people to partake in free food and cappuccino. After the grand opening at 5 p.m. Aug. 19, it will be open five nights a week. The hours are: 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 6-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This chapel-sponsored program has been offered at other Air Force installations, and the idea has migrated to Osan. The manager, Bryan Fox, participated in a similar production last summer at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "It was a huge program at Lackland with technical training students," Fox said. The purpose of Haven is to combat the existing problems of underage drinking and peer pressure to go downtown and get into trouble, he explained. It's an alternative to the temptations just outside the gates. "I know we have a high ops tempo and stress here," Fox said. "It'll be a place for people to be themselves and relax on base." There are plans for Friday pizza and movie nights and religious education opportunities for those who are interested. So far, the base has invested nearly $25,000 - including $5,000 in the popcorn and cappuccino machines, said Staff Sgt. Lowell Wann, 51st Fighter Wing Chapel. "It's a place to hang out without the pressure or stigma of meeting in the chapel," Wann said. The community center is centrally located, but a temporary home for Haven - at least according to Fox. "Ultimately, I'd love to see it have its own facility nearer to the dorms," he said. "That would be ideal."