Assistance fund takes care of Air Force family

  • Published
  • By Doris Johnson
  • Air Armament Center Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Capt. Glenda Whitfield is committed to supporting the Air Force Assistance Fund; however, 17 years ago, it was the AFAF that was committed to supporting her.

“Back then I was an Airman,” said Captain Whitfield, an obstetrics clinical nurse with the 96th Surgical Operations Squadron here. “I was already married, my husband was between jobs, I had a child (who) was 2 years old and another one was on the way.”

Captain Whitfield was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., working as an OB technician.

“You had to be an E-4 (senior airman) or above to live on base, so we lived off base with no cost-of-living allowance to make up for the high cost in the area,” Captain Whitfield said. “We had variable housing assistance, but that was given based on rank, and I was fresh out of (technical) school.”

With tensions high, Captain Whitfield discovered that her car’s brakes needed to be replaced, giving her a repair bill of $400.

“I just didn’t have that kind of money,” Captain Whitfield said.

Somewhere along the road to becoming an Airman, Captain Whitfield had heard of the AFAF.

“I went through so many briefings, I don’t know when I first learned about the AFAF,” Captain Whitfield said. “I didn’t even know they supported loans for something like car repairs.”

The Air Force Aid Society, which is the official charity of the Air Force, gives qualifying Airmen interest-free loans or grants during personal and family emergencies. It also provides necessities like food, rent, utilities, essential car repairs and certain medical and dental care.

Since Captain Whitfield lived off base, it was essential for her to have a car.

“The loan made all the difference,” she said.

That was 1987.

Three years later she was facing even harder times. Still at Andrews AFB, she was going through a divorce.

“I was working shifts at the hospital and couldn’t afford a babysitter to take care of my children so that I could sleep,” Captain Whitfield said. “My sister came over to help as a nanny, but financially, things were backing up and my husband had even taken the car.”

She applied for state aid to recover from debt, but was denied because she made $30 more than what was allowed to receive support.

“I felt like no one could help me,” Captain Whitfield said.

She applied to the AFAF and received a grant for $400 to pay for utilities.

“When they called me to tell me about the grant, I just broke down and cried,” Captain Whitfield said. “The money was exactly what I needed to get back on my feet.”

Today, Captain Whitfield said she is finally financially secure. In 1993 she remarried her former husband and they have remained together for 11 years and have four children. In 1998 she received her commission.

“We have come a long way,” Captain Whitfield said. “From those experiences, I decided that I would always support the fund.”