Bright Holidays for 2014

Published Dec. 10, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Lauren Pitst
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- There's no place like home for the holidays. But for some servicemembers, home can be a world away. Between different duty stations and cost of living, it can be difficult for young Airmen to budget for Yuletide trips. However, a group of Minot Air Force Base officers have started a new tradition to relieve some of this financial burden during the holidays.

Operation: Bright Holidays, a program originally started at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, will make its sophomore appearance at Minot for the 2014 holiday season thanks to the Company Grade Officer Council, made up of both the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing officers. The Airmen raised money from downtown businesses and personal donations totaling $3,945 - which will surprise six Airmen with a trip home.

"Everyone should be with their families on holidays," said Capt. Richard Landsverk, 5th Operations Support Squadron weather flight commander and CGOC member. As a prior-enlisted Airman, Landsverk says he understands the financial difficulty young Airmen can face.

"To be able to help an Airman get home to their family and give them that opportunity is amazing," Landsverk said.

For Landsverk, all the planning and finding funds is hard work, but the motivation comes from seeing the look on an Airman's face when they find out they're going home.

"We see their stories and we know their issues," Landsverk explained. "But when you actually see the Airman, it's real."

Luckily for Landsverk, the look of surprise and happiness was twice as rewarding when the CGOC awarded two Airmen from the 5th Maintenance Squadron their flights home. Staff Sgt. Jefferey Rutledge, 5th MXS hydraulic specialist, and Airman 1st Class Houston Williams, 5th MXS crew chief, were unsuspecting when they got the news.

"I didn't know the Air Force did things like this," said Rutledge, who said he thinks the Bright Holidays program is a great way for the Air Force to give back to its Airmen. "I wasn't planning on being able to go home; now I can, and it's very exciting."

Williams, who is almost 2,000 miles from his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, was oblivious to his name being put in for the award, but plans on surprising his whole family with the news.

"I had no idea this was happening," Williams said. "It was a surprise for me, so it will definitely be a surprise to them."

Now, with another six Airmen able to reunite with their families, the CGOC members prepare to start the cycle over again for next year - motivated by helping their Wingmen.

"I love the Air Force, and one of the reasons why is because of the wingman concept," Landsverk said. "From the shirt, to the supervisor, to putting the Airman's name in - it's the epitome of the wingman concept. If a supervisor didn't care, their Airmen wouldn't win."