Airmen invited to 'Adopt-a-Family'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Rojek
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea --  During a holiday season that emphasizes generosity, one lieutenant here is inviting Team Osan to give back to the local community.

Through the Adopt-a-Family Program, 1st Lt. Donald Cox, 607th Intelligence Squadron, hopes to reciprocate Korea's hospitality to U.S. servicemembers.

"The Korean government and civic organizations give so much to the U.S. military in forms of ski trips, community festivals and other events," said Lieutenant Cox. "I feel we need to give back to them and share in the generosity."

The program allows individual Airmen or squadrons to give to a specific Korean family from the local community, selected from a list of families in need. Working together with Songtan City Hall and the Republic of Korea Air Force, program volunteers receive a list of needed items from their "family" and then purchase them. Once they have the list together, the unit or Airman will deliver the items to the family before Dec. 25.

According to the 51st Fighter Wing Legal Office, purchasing gifts for charity at the base exchange or commissary is legal. However, single item purchases of more than $50 must be recorded on the proper paperwork, which will be provided by Lieutenant Cox.

"Someone can go out and buy one $15 Transformer toy, or six of them, and not have to fill out the form," said the lieutenant. "But if they were to buy a $50 turkey, they'd have to fill out the forms for legal and Korean customs."

No matter what is given to the families, the important thing is that good relations will follow, said Staff Sgt. Christopher Dodd, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron.

"We need to support to the community in which we live for a year," said Sergeant Dodd. "We need to leave where we are a better place than when we got here."

Master Sgt. Pate Tilburn, also with the 5th RS, said Airmen have an obligation to assist the community in which they live, even if it is overseas.

"I hope [our Korean neighbors] know that we're here to support them," said Sergeant Tilburn. "Even though we're here with the armistice, it doesn't mean we can't befriend each other."

Lieutenant Cox is used to bringing support to communities near base - he first participated in the Adopt-a-Family program at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. He later brought the idea to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, while he was in intelligence officer school. After arriving at Osan and finding out there wasn't a similar program in place, he took it upon himself to get all of Team Osan involved.

"The media does not emphasize enough the good things we do in giving back to the community," said Lieutenant Cox. "The more positive programs we have, the easier and better our relations will become.

"But doing this at just the squadron or flight level is not enough," he added. "We must do this as a military community."