Air Guard civil engineers fix elderly neighbor's home, yard

It was Christmas at Shirley McCartney's home in Terre Haute, Ind.

But instead of carols and sleigh bells, the neighborhood rang with the sound of hammers, saws and scrapers. And instead of December snow, the April sun shone down on 45 men and women in uniform diligently renovating the 77-year old widow's house.

It was Christmas in April for the third consecutive year in Terre Haute, and the 181st Fighter Wing's Civil Engineering Squadron was there.

Christmas in April is a national program that helps low-income elderly and disabled homeowners live in warmth and safety. Volunteers donate one Saturday in April (April 15, this year) to do blitz repairs on deteriorating homes in their communities.

Squadron members repaired bathroom walls and ceilings, water-damaged floors, electrical systems, and damage to the foundation and basement of the 80-year old house.

"Our mission is base recovery after an attack," Maj. Martin White said. "If a mission-essential building is bombed, our job is to do everything humanly possible to rebuild and have the structure back in operation by day's end.

"That's just how we approached this project," he said. "We rolled into Mrs. McCartney's house, treated it like a damaged building that we needed to get back on line before 4:30 p.m. And this wasn't a simulated situation, like those in exercise scenarios. This was a real building that needed real work."

Copyright National Guard Association of the United States Jun 2000
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