Paying it forward: why one Airman chooses to donate to the CFC

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Joe Kreidel
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Air Force Aid Society, the official charity of the Air Force and one of the hundreds of charities that receive funding through the Combined Federal Campaign, provided a little sunshine in an otherwise dark time for Tech. Sgt. Thundercloud Hirajeta, a floor chief with the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron.

In 1997, shortly after arriving at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, his first duty station, Sergeant Hirajeta learned that his only remaining grandmother had passed away in Chicago. Having recently purchased a car and burned all his leave after graduating from basic training and technical school, Sergeant Hirajeta had no leave and no money to make it to the funeral.
 
"Back then, A1C's [Airman 1st Class] didn't have much money," said Sergeant Hirajeta, who is now married and has a 4-year-old daughter. "I'd given up hope of being at her funeral, of being with my family at her funeral. I didn't know I had any options."
 
Fortunately, Sergeant Hirajeta had a savvy supervisor, one who knew that the AFAS offers assistance to Airmen who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances. In addition to orchestrating his emergency leave, Sergeant Hirajeta's supervisor arranged for him to sit down with an AFAS advisor and explain his situation; together, they calculated how much money he would need for gas, food, and lodging to travel to Chicago and back.
 
"They [AFAS] ended up gifting me $400," said Sergeant Hirajeta. "Without that program - and without a supervisor who knew about that program, a supervisor who was involved - I definitely would not have been able to make it."

With the AFAS' assistance, Sergeant Hirajeta was able to be among the hundreds of family members he estimates to have attended his grandmother's funeral - she had 13 kids, which meant dozens and dozens of cousins, many of whom Sergeant Hirajeta hadn't seen in a long time and some he had never even met.
 
"It was a blessing," said Sergeant Hirajeta, "and it gave me a really great impression of the Air Force early on in my career. I mean, what other company would do that kind of thing for one of its own?"
 
Sergeant Hirajeta has been donating to the AFAS through the CFC ever since. He figures that he's more than paid off his debt by now, but chooses to keep donating because he says he knows firsthand that the money he gives will be put to good use.
 
In 2008, the CFC-Overseas raised nearly $16 million for charity. To learn more about the CFC and the many worthy charities that are part of the program, speak with your unit CFC representative or go to www.cfcoverseas.org.