HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force Assistance Fund’s ‘commitment to caring’ theme resonated throughout the halls of the Air Force Enlisted Village as leaders from Air Force Special Operations Command toured the facilities March 1.
Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, AFSOC commander; Chief Master Sgt. Matt Caruso, AFSOC command chief and his wife, Becky were treated to a tour of the Hawthorn House, Bob Hope Village 5 and the Bob Hope Village community center during the visit.
Chief Master Sgt. (ret) Brooke McLean, AFEV President and CEO, briefed the AFSOC leaders on the services and facilities the official Air Force charity provides.
After dining with several of the residents of Hawthorn House and Bob Hope Village, General Heithold took a few minutes to thank the widows for their sacrifices. He also talked about how he loved the golden rule the Air Force Enlisted Village operates under – the “mom rule.”
The mom rule states:
- Would I do this to my mom?
- Would I do this for my mom?
- Would my mom approve?
“Moms are the center of gravity in every family,” General Heithold said. “We gravitate to our mothers. That’s never going to change, so I love the golden rule. Our moms are special people, and so are all of you.”
The AFEV, formerly the Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation, was founded in 1967 after the Air Force Sergeant’s Association conducted a survey and found that more than 50,000 widows of enlisted men were living in poverty. With the assistance of former Air Force Chief of Staff General and Mrs. John Ryan, a group of active duty and retired Air Force non-commissioned officers set about to correct this deficiency, according to their fact sheet. Their goal was to provide a home for surviving spouses of enlisted Air Force members.
Today, the AFEV is comprised of Bob Hope Village, an independent living community, and the Hawthorn House -- an assisted living and memory support residence.
Some people may be surprised to learn the support isn’t only available for surviving spouses of Air Force enlisted members. They support surviving spouses whose enlisted sponsors served in other branches of the service, and retired enlisted Air Force and other military services couples when space is available.
Not surprising was the praise General Heithold had for the AFEV leadership and the way the operation is managed.
“Thank you for the environment you are creating around here,” the general said. “It’s the pride you take in the grounds. It’s the pride you take in the service you provide to your people. It’s the pride in the way you carry yourself. It’s obvious to us that this is what right looks like.”
Leadership of the AFEV plan to continue their support to the families through planned upgrades to the facilities.
“These upgrades wouldn’t be possible without the help of the many donors – many of which contribute through the annual Air Force Assistance Fund campaign,” said Chief Master Sgt McLean.
The AFSOC AFAF campaign runs from March 21 – April 29 and begins with a kickoff breakfast March 17 at 8 a.m. at the Hurlburt Soundside Club and a kickoff golf tournament March 21.
For more information on the campaign events, contact the installation project officers:
- Hurlburt: Capt Amanda Smyer or SMSgt Timothy Coffey
- Cannon: Capt Dustin Tanen or MSgt Francesca Seehausen