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by Jodi L. Jordan
Air Force Enlisted Village
2/14/2008 - SHALIMAR, Fla. (AFPN) -- The champagne fountain gurgled and the dress uniform buttons gleamed in the candlelight at a very special Valentine's Day event Feb. 9. Airmen from nearby Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field were visiting the Air Force Enlisted Village to honor and escort the residents of Hawthorn House, the AFEV's assisted living residence, at their Valentine's Day Ball.
The Air Force Enlisted Village, one of the four official charities of the Air Force, provides a home to the surviving spouses of enlisted Airmen. Most of the residents there are widows in their seventies, and for some of them, Valentine's Day can be a particularly sad holiday.
"Our ladies loved their husbands so much," said Jennifer Carron, Hawthorn House administrator. "They often stop me in the halls to tell me stories about how their husbands would get dressed up in their uniforms and take them out dancing. Those dates are some of their most precious memories, and now they don't have that type of event to look forward to, so we wanted to give them an event like that here."
Staff from Hawthorn House contacted senior NCO's at Eglin and Hurlburt and asked them to put the call out for volunteers to attend a Valentine's Day Ball at Hawthorn House. The requirements were simple: wear your service dress uniform or mess dress and be ready to dance and have a great time. More than thirty Airmen answered the call, and "An Evening of Romance and Roses" was off and running.
For Monique Fouts, a resident at Hawthorn House, the ball and the Airmen's participation helped her get through a very tough day.
"Today is the anniversary of my husband's death," Mrs. Fouts said at the event. "I was feeling very bad today, but I'm so glad I came tonight. The volunteers are so sweet. It's made me feel better."
One of the Airmen attending the ball was Master Sgt. Brian Carron, an instructor at the 342nd Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field.
"This event was a great way to link our military today to these spouses, and for us to hear about their experiences," Sergeant Carron said. "We wanted to give them a chance to reminisce and to let them know they're not forgotten."
The Valentine's Day Ball was just one more example of the great support today's Airmen give the AFEV, said retired Chief Master Sgt. James C. Binnicker, AFEV president and CEO .
"I can't say enough about the way Eglin and Hurlburt Field Airmen always support us. They are out here volunteering their off-duty time every week, my hat's off to them," he said.
Chief Binnicker also was the 9th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
For more information, visit the Air Force Enlisted Village Web site or call 1-800-258-1413.
