Eglin Airmen go to war with stumps, trees

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mike Meares
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  When Hurricane Ivan hit the coastal area here Sept. 16, destructive winds as high as 130 mph knocked down power lines and countless trees. It left a devastating mark on the landscape of Northwest Florida, including nearby Bob Hope Village, one of two Air Force Enlisted Village locations.

Six months later, people are still cleaning up downed trees and stumps left by the sixth most powerful hurricane in recorded history, officials said.

The instructors of the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron put away their weapons for a day and got out chain saws, shovels and rakes to help village residents clean up some debris.

“With the damage we had out here, the insurance didn’t cover a thing,” said Debbie Carrier, the village’s deputy director. “Our deductible was actually more than the actual cost of the damage.”

With more than $300,000 in damage, village officials turned to the Air Force and surrounding communities for all the help they could get.

The day after Hurricane Ivan left, more than 300 Air Force volunteers started the cleanup process, and it has been ongoing for the past six months.

“Without a doubt, the volunteer support we have received from the Air Force has been tremendous,” Ms. Carrier said. “Every group of volunteers has done nothing short of tremendous. They have always gone above and beyond.”

Airmen of the 96th GCTS said they wanted to do their part as well and spent a day cutting down broken trees, pulling stumps and doing some cleanup for the residents.

“The residents of Bob Hope Village have done more than their share for the military,” said Master Sgt. Ken Lein, a 96th GCTS instructor. “We just wanted to, in some small way, give a little back to them and say thank you.”

The Airmen saved the village, which runs solely on donations, more than $2,000 by removing more than 100 trees and stumps.

A resident and volunteer at the village, Betty Hank, said she was talking about the Airmen’s work with retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Binnicker, the chief executive officer of the village.

“I told him ‘I don’t know what we would do without those guys,’” she said. “Chief told me, ‘We wouldn’t.’”

“I couldn’t do the mission out here without the volunteers from Eglin and (nearby Hurlburt Field),” Chief Binnicker said. “It’s been a heart warming and phenomenal outpouring of support. We would not have been able to bring the village back to some sense of normalcy.”

The entire cost of the damages has rested entirely on the shoulders of village residents. Airmen have worked for six months to relieve that expense by getting their hands dirty.

“This reinforces the fact that the Air Force takes care of their own,” the chief said.