One of the best ways to tell the Air Force Aid story is through the words of the airmen and family members who have received assistance. We hope that by sharing these experiences, others in the Air Force family will have a better understanding of the scope of our assistance programs and be aware of how we might be able to help them with an emergency or education need.

The Air Force Aid Society is about...

Helping families through difficult times...

We received this story via e-mail. "When I was an Airman at my first duty assignment, my son, not quite a year old, stopped playing and dropped unconscious to the floor with a very high fever. My wife called me frantically at my duty station and I arrived there before the ambulance. To make a long story short, he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and was airlifted to a medical center 50 miles away where he lay comatose for 10 days. (He eventually fully recovered.)

One of the Chaplains, who were there supporting us in our ordeal, contacted my First Sergeant and the Air Force Aid Society. They paid all of the medical expenses that weren't covered by Champus, well over a thousand dollars that we just didn't have, allowing us to focus our attention on our son's recovery and rehabilitation instead of worrying about the bills. Thank you."

We received this story from the spouse of an Active Duty member...

Last April my mother became paralyzed. Not by an auto accident, but by a growth that had attached itself to her spine. For months Mom complained of terrible backaches, but chalked it up to arthritis. One night she literally crawled into bed and couldn't get out the next morning. Because she is so stubborn, it took two days for her to consent to allowing the paramedics into the house to retrieve her. They strapped her to a stretcher and carried her down the stairs and out to the waiting ambulance. However, on the way down the stairs Mom suffered a heart attack. I found out about this two days later, as I am in Illinois and Mom is in Nevada. My father was in no shape to talk on the phone and my elderly grandmother didn't want to tell me the facts because she knew I would worry.

As it turned out, Mom had to spend a few days in the hospital. My father, who has emphysema (though he never smoked a cigarette a day in his life) was physically and mentally a wreck. My grandmother made herself sick with worry and had to wear her oxygen mask throughout the day. In a nutshell, my family was falling apart without their "rock" (my mother). When we learned of this growth that was strangling my mother's spine, we also learned she needed it removed. Not only that, but she needed a stent put in her heart soon afterwards. In fact, her doctors were arguing about which procedure to do first! Knowing what terrible shape everyone was in, I knew I had to get home. My family needed me, if only for a few days. I broached the subject with my husband and he regretfully said it was impossible for us to afford a trip home. I knew this was a horrible decision my husband had to make. He is also close to my family and didn't want to see them struggle. He also didn't want to hurt me, but as always, he had to be the sensible one.

Ironically, not long before this incident my husband was collecting donations for the AFAS from his squadron. He approached me with the idea of getting a loan. I said no, that I wasn't going to be the cause of another bill coming into our house and I wasn't going to be given "charity". Somehow, he convinced me of going to our Family Support Center to sit down and talk to someone. I did, and he was absolutely wonderful! I thanked God for him because he was extremely understanding, sensitive, and sensible. He could tell I was extremely worried about my mother, and owing money to the AFAS but he made me quite comfortable. I felt like I was chatting with an old friend. I actually dreaded leaving his office!

Anyway, I received a loan from the AFAS, boarded a plane, and went home to help my family out. I am so happy I listened to my husband! Mom was in terrible shape. My father and grandmother weren't eating. Perhaps a quick meal at a fast food restaurant, but other than that, nothing was being cooked or cleaned. I was able to prepare and freeze some meals, clean the house, hire a domestic helper, and interview my mother's physical therapist. I was there to "take command" so my father and grandmother could keep their own doctor appointments. I ran errands, changed Mom's bandages, and even gave my Dad his insulin a time or two! In a nutshell, I was able to get my family organized so they could continue when I left.

I couldn't have done it without the help and support of the Air Force Aid Society!

By the way, it has been roughly 9-10 weeks since Mom's surgery. She can walk up/down stairs and even out to the garage with the help of a cane!

An Air Force retiree related this personal experience from his Active Duty days. I received a call early one morning that my mother-in-law had suffered a stroke. Since it was winter and we were 1,400 miles from home in Kentucky I didn't know what to do. I couldn't afford to fly my wife home, and driving was out of the question due to severe winter conditions. The Red Cross worker who notified us put me in touch with the AFAS worker. He talked with the Doctor and confirmed the seriousness of the situation. He made the reservations and supplied the ticket home. My wife was at her mother's side within 24 hours of her stroke.

An A1C was kind to share his story with us...

I've had many problems and tragic events since I arrived at my 1st duty station. A month after I arrived I got word that my mother had lapsed into a coma back home in Salt Lake City. Without any problems or hesitation the Air Force Aid Society worked swiftly to get me, my pregnant wife and two daughters back to Salt Lake City and then back to my duty station once my mother recovered. While we were in Salt Lake City my wife gave birth to my son, a beautiful healthy baby boy. Two uneventful months had passed as we were settling into our new home when my wife's father developed terminal colon cancer. Once again the Air Force Aid Society jumped to our rescue and flew my wife home to be with her father. My wife was gone for 2 weeks and everything was going fine except the obvious. My wife was set to come home Aug 2nd 2003 and me, my son and my second daughter were preparing to go to the airport to pick up my wife that morning. I was going around getting the kids stuff ready and I was going to take my children to the baby sitter. As I went to get my infant son out of bed I noticed that he'd died sometime the night before and I went into a panic when I realized my new baby boy had died. The Air Force Aid Society helped us out so much when my son died and flew us home for the funeral and helped us prepare for the funeral. The Air Force Aid Society are probably the greatest most caring people I've ever met and they've done a lot more for me and my family than what they've done physically or what they could possibly imagine. Thank you AFAS!

A Staff Sergeant wrote...

I'm an Air Force recruiter now, but back when I was in the "real air force", I was stationed in Okinawa Japan. During July 1997, about 4 months after my wife and I were stationed there after coming from Mt. Home AFB, my father passed away. At this time, I was just an A1C, and my wife did not have a job, and we were extremely strapped for cash, and a round trip ticket from Okinawa to Pittsburgh was $1500 a piece. My 1st Shirt got in touch with AFAS, and within 48 hours (only 48 hours because of a typhoon), my wife and I were on a plane to Pittsburgh. I would never have been able to go on my own because of money, let alone my wife going with me, which AFAS paid for. I have never been able to thank anyone, and I have appreciated this great organization my entire career.

We received this personal story from a Senior Airman...

I would like to thank the AFAS family and all who were directly and indirectly involved in helping me during two stressful, difficult and even tragic times in my young Air Force career. On behalf of my family, I would like to be the reprensentative for our family and give our stories to you for sharing on your website.

The first life changing event happened in the summer of 1999. I was a fresh airmen and had just graduated from basic military training in Lackland AFB, TX. I had left my wife behind at our apartment in Stone Mountain, Georgia. My technical school was about 10 months long and because of this I was authorized to move my wife into base housing and live with her while I attended school. One hot day in July I somehow made my way to the Family Support Center at Keesler AFB, Mississippi to ask for some assistance. The landlord to our apartment back in Stone Mountain would not allow my wife to get out early of our lease. The lease also didn't have a military clause in effect so we had to pay penalty and rent fees so that she could move out. The Air Force Aid Society came to my rescue and I was able to obtain a no interest loan to pay for our lease breakage and I was able to reunite back with my wife after 3 months of separation due to training and school. The AFAS came through for us and was a blessing that we will never forget. Little did we know that AFAS would come through again.

The latest tragic event is still fresh on our hearts and minds but with time the pain will not hurt as much. We both agreed for me to put in and volunteer for orders to Korea and get another base because we were having a rough time at Shaw AFB, South Carolina.

I had the orders to a year-long tour overseas to Osan AB, in South Korea and I was to report no later than December 15th 2001. I left from Atlanta International Airport on December 2, 2001. It was a hard separation from my wife because we were going through a hard time with our marriage and we had some heartbreak scars from growing up through trials and tribulations. We both agreed to put in and volunteer for orders to Korea and get another base because we were having a rough time at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. To speed up the lapse of this story, two weeks after I arrived to Osan AB, ROK my wife gave me "the suprise" call and told me that she was pregnant. I was happy and at the same time sad because I knew that I could not be there with her to go through this joyous time with her. I picked up another job to make some extra money for the baby. Everything was going good up until the time that my wife hit the beginning of the third trimester, or her sixth month of pregnancy. She went in for a sonogram and the doctor told her that he could get a heartbeat from the baby. The doctor determined after a couple of tries that the baby was dead inside the womb and that he would have to induce labor and perform an autopsy to find out what had went wrong. It turns out that the umbilical cord got wrapped around my son's neck and he suffocated. The AFAS was able to pay for the portion of my plane ticket that was not covered by the travel agency and I was able to be by my wife's side on emergency leave orders. We lost our firstborn son earlier this year but we know that he is in a better place up in heaven smiling down at us and waiting for that day when we can all meet up and be a family. Thanks to AFAS, I was able to come home in time to hold my son for the first and the last time.

From a Retired SMSgt, we heard, "I was a Master Sergeant and experiencing a bad marriage. We were living at my (now ex) wife's parents house. I had my daughter with me and we suddenly found ourselves with no place to live and no belongings other than a few furniture items and our clothing. I was in a stressful debt situation, so furnishing an apartment or house was out of the question. Fortunately, my First Sergeant was able to get me priority for moving on base. She also referred me to the base family support center. The Air Force Aid Society person interviewed me and I filled out an application for assistance. I was told to go in search of furniture and provide receipts for things I needed to buy. Most everything was found at our base thrift store. I was very fortunate to furnish our base apartment and change a potentially drastic situation into a smooth transition on base. It was very gratifying to have help when I needed it most. I'll never forget the relief I felt when I knew I would have a place to live and bed to sleep on for my daughter."

In an e-mail from a Master Sergeant who received AFAS assistance after his 4 month old infant son died due to a rare birth defect, he wrote, "Air Force Aid (AFAS) stepped up and paid for all of our funeral expenses, the graveside marker, and the travel costs for my family. We cannot begin to thank the AFAS enough. The monetary relief took away a huge burden and allowed us to completely focus on the details of our son's funeral arrangements and that was extremely important to our family. The AFAS representative at the Family Support Center did an exceptional job. I am truly thankful for the AFAS and will definitely donate to our charity year after year."

Easing family stress...

The parents of a 20-month old son who requires constant, 24-hour care due to a rare lung condition, are able to get a break once a week through the AFAS Respite Care program. The mother wrote, "I don't know how we would have gotten through this if it wasn't for the help of the Air Force Aid Society and all the other people on base who have helped us."

Taking care our own...

An Air Force retiree wrote, My son received an AFAS grant four years in a row while attending college. I'm proud to report the money was well invested. He completed college, attended law school, and is now serving as a JAG officer in the Army. Thank you Air Force Aid Society.

A recipient of the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant expresses his gratitude: "My father is a disabled veteran and a great believer in the Air Force takes care of its own. He has made that statement many times. I did not always know what it meant. However, since I have begun my college education, this grant has helped me to realize the fulfillment of what he meant."

Improving Quality of Life...

The purchase of a special computer for a young boy with a speech disorder allows him to more easily communicate. In a note from his parents, we heard, "Without your help, our son would not have this opportunity to communicate so easily. Your help will have a lifetime impact on his future! Thank you very much."

If you have received Air Force Aid assistance and would like to share your story, please e-mail us at: dvosburg@afas.org. All information will remain anonymous.