Mr. and Mrs. Claus salute Hill children, warm the night

  • Published
  • By Tim Broussard
  • Hilltop Times Correspondent
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Operation Homefront brought loads of toys, treats, activities and smiles to hundreds of Hill AFB children Dec. 11.

Mark Davidson, Executive Director-Mountain West Region, with Operation Homefront states that its purpose is to have a "fun morale event to try and help military families get through the holidays and have a fun event for the kids."

Christmas music filled the air and activities were everywhere and included numerous holiday crafts, a magic show, a cake walk, and a seat with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

Once the children got to meet Santa they were then able to pick from the premium toys table as well as whatever stocking stuffers they needed. All of the toys were donated by community and industry partners.

To put on such a wonderful event took a lot of help. One of the 30 volunteers was 1st Lt. Emily Fischer who stated that she "liked to see all the smiling faces on the kids" while Col. (Ret.) Wendell Mann who brought his grandson, 6-year-old Austin Mann, stated that "this was phenomenal and that mostly from a veterans standpoint, that they are doing this for the children ... There is so much diversity here."

Leadership was well represented by a number of senior officers participating in the events. Ogden Air Logisitcs Complex Deputy Commander for Maintenance Col. Ronald Jolley Sr., read Christmas stories to the children, and summed up the essence of the event by saying, "This is great support to the Airmen that may be deployed right now, and their families are here enjoying this opportunity. This is really built for the children and I think it's fantastic."

Airmen can visit www.operationhomefront.net for additional information on services and aid that Operation Homefront can provide.