Page 6 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, July 9, 2021

6 July 9, 2021
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Hunters donate clothing to Vegas shelters
by Staff Sgt. Omari Bernard
Creech AFB, Nev.
Whether it’s volunteering, organizing local events or
donating a delivery truck worth of clothes to local chari-
ties across Las Vegas, the Airmen at Creech Air Force
Base, Nev., do it in style.
Staff Sgt. Sojourner and Senior Airman Johana, 432nd
Maintenance Squadron MQ-9 training instructors and
clothing drive coordinators, took over their unit’s cloth-
ing drive and turned it into a competition.
“People are moving, deploying and everyone has been
stuck in the house for almost a year and a half,” Sojourner
said. “It’s the perfect time to do a spring-cleaning cloth-
ing drive.”
The drive ran for 60 days and encouraged everyone
to go through their closet for unused items in good
condition.
“We told them to give us anything,” Sojourner said.
“We’ll take toys, we’ll take shoes, we’ll take sports gear,
we’ll take anything you have and sort it all out.”
To incentivize units to donate more, Sojourner and
Johana, declared whichever unit contributed the most
in the 432nd Maintenance Group would get the sweet
reward of donuts in the end.
With the gauntlet thrown and the rules announced,
the clothing drive’s donations soared.
For 60 days Airmen and civilian contractors around
Creech donated to the drive. The final count of items do-
nated across the installation was 2,267 items of clothing.
The 432nd MXG’s Munitions Flight won the competi-
tion decisively with a total of 857 items donated.
“At first they didn’t give anything,” Sojourner said.
“Then in the last couple weeks they came in and handed
over 857 items and blew every other unit out of the water.”
After the donation period came to an end, several
volunteers including Sojourner and Johana separated and
organized the clothes for three days and then delivered
it to local shelters in Vegas.
“The volunteer coordinators were surprised to see us
Air Force photographs by Staff Sgt. Haley Stevens “I’m new to this squadron,” Johana said. “So, this
Staff Sgt. Sojourner, 432nd Maintenance Squadron MQ-9 instructor, places clothing into a pile after a clothing drive May helped me get to meet a lot of people and also brought
18, 2021, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Airmen across the 432nd Wing donated clothing for 60 days during a spring- us together with a common goal. We want to thank
cleaning themed clothing drive.
Desert lightning news s. nevaDa Desert lightning news s. nevaDa
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Airmen from the 432nd
Maintenance Squadron
sort through clothing
donations May 18, 2021,
at Creech Air Force Base,
Nev. Airmen across the
432nd Wing donated
2,267 items of clothing to
local shelters in Las Vegas.
pull up in a moving truck full of donations,” Johana said.
“A lot of people struggled through COVID lockdowns
and I hope that the donations can help.”
Johana said the clothing drive made a difference and
the secret to its success was advertising, planning and
most importantly the people.
“I know a lot of people that struggled through CO-
VID,” Johana said. “It can be hard for people in shelters,
and fresh clothes can help.”
According to Johana, the clothing drive also brought
people closer together as a squadron.
everyone that donated and volunteered.”
July 9, 2021 7
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nevada national guard pridE, from Page 5
continues vaccinations
all summer
by Spec. Adrianne Lopez “We get a lot more face time with pa-
Las Vegas, Nev. tients to answer any COVID-19 questions
they might have,” Spec. Austin Czarnecki
Nevada National Guard Soldiers and said. “It’s really nice to be this informed
Airmen plan to vaccinate people through about the virus and be able to pass our
September at College of Southern Nevada knowledge along to patients.”
Cheyenne and Charleston campuses. As fewer people are getting vaccinat-
Sixty Guard members have set up ed, operations for the Guard will even-
operations in the ballrooms at both loca- tually come to an end. When that hap-
tions and will administer COVID-19 vac- pens, Green hopes the Southern Nevada
cinations Tuesday through Friday from Health District will not be overwhelmed.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Sept. 30. “Everyone has been so flexible this
“We take appointments and walk-ins,” whole mission. Soldiers and Airmen have
Chief Master Sgt. Angie Green said. done a great job adapting and taking care
“Patients have the option to choose the of patients,” Green said. “The SNHD will
vaccine of their choice. It’s great because go back to their normal operations when
people have their preferences and it’s nice we’re gone. The hope is that by the time
that we can cater to that.” we’re gone, the majority of the public
The sites are smaller than some previ- will be vaccinated and the local doctor’s
ous locations. offices won’t be overwhelmed.”
Courtesy photograph
Senior Master Sgt. Ashley Metcalf, 926th Force Support Squadron, sustainment services
flight chief, and his husband Eric, during a Pride 5k in Atlanta, Ga., June 15, 2019.
“That was problematic and challenging for me, not just because of the fear of
losing my job, but because that was the whole of my identity to those people, and
I felt like I was relegated to that,” he said.
Metcalf said early in his career he also had to silently bear the weight of a
formal investigation on his orientation because someone reported him.
“I wasn’t even out at that point, but because someone saw my mannerisms
they felt they needed to investigate me,” Metcalf said. “I felt alone, I felt unsafe
and it made everyone else look like an enemy to me.”
Even following the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, it took Metcalf three more
years to feel secure enough to come out in the military setting and to have what
so many take for granted; a family.
“Everything before that was, I was single and no kids,” he said. “That’s not
the story that I wanted, but to do this job, my story would have had to stay just
that, single and no kids.”
Metcalf now advocates for those who share his titles, but more importantly
for him, he advocates for those who don’t.
“For me it takes more courage to step out and advocate for people who you
really don’t know their stories, because you have to listen, and that’s just not
easy,” he said.
He said he believes true Diversity and Inclusion in the Air Force will come as
others step up and advocate for all experiences, not just their own.
“We’re not always thinking about what is valuable to other people and I think
that is what creates separation,” he said. “I’m bound to make mistakes, but for me
that’s part of what connects me to the people who are trying to connect with me.”
Metcalf said he now shares his story for anyone who may feel different.
“The power of inclusion is to show someone a version of themselves, to let
them see something different and allow them to believe that they too can be
there,” he said.
Army National Guard photograph by Spec. Adrianne Lopez To those who say why celebrate the individual Airman, Metcalf said, “What
Nevada National Guard Spec. Austin Czarnecki of Joint Task Force 17 administers the an antiqued idea.”
Janssen vaccine to a patient at the College of Southern Nevada Cheyenne campus June “It’s not celebrating the individual Airman, it’s celebrating the many titles we
23, 2021, in Las Vegas. Soldiers and Airmen will vaccinate people at the Cheyenne and all carry as humans and the narratives we bring with us to serve,” he said. “The
Charleston campuses through Sept. 30. beauty of connection is being seen as your whole self.”