Page 7 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, July 9, 2021

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Hunters donate clothing to Vegas shelters nevada national guard pridE, from Page 5

by Staff Sgt. Omari Bernard
Creech AFB, Nev. continues vaccinations
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 all summer
Base, Nev., do it in style.
Staff Sgt. Sojourner and Senior Airman Johana, 432nd
Maintenance Squadron MQ-9 training instructors and by Spec. Adrianne Lopez “We get a lot more face time with pa-
clothing drive coordinators, took over their unit’s cloth- Las Vegas, Nev. tients to answer any COVID-19 questions
ing drive and turned it into a competition. they might have,” Spec. Austin Czarnecki
“People are moving, deploying and everyone has been Nevada National Guard Soldiers and said. “It’s really nice to be this informed
stuck in the house for almost a year and a half,” Sojourner Airmen plan to vaccinate people through about the virus and be able to pass our
said. “It’s the perfect time to do a spring-cleaning cloth- September at College of Southern Nevada knowledge along to patients.”
ing drive.” Cheyenne and Charleston campuses. As fewer people are getting vaccinat-
The drive ran for 60 days and encouraged everyone Sixty Guard members have set up ed, operations for the Guard will even-
to go through their closet for unused items in good operations in the ballrooms at both loca- tually come to an end. When that hap-
condition. tions and will administer COVID-19 vac- pens, Green hopes the Southern Nevada
“We told them to give us anything,” Sojourner said. cinations Tuesday through Friday from Health District will not be overwhelmed.
“We’ll take toys, we’ll take shoes, we’ll take sports gear, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Sept. 30. “Everyone has been so flexible this
we’ll take anything you have and sort it all out.” “We take appointments and walk-ins,” whole mission. Soldiers and Airmen have
To incentivize units to donate more, Sojourner and Chief Master Sgt. Angie Green said. done a great job adapting and taking care
Johana, declared whichever unit contributed the most “Patients have the option to choose the of patients,” Green said. “The SNHD will
in the 432nd Maintenance Group would get the sweet vaccine of their choice. It’s great because go back to their normal operations when
reward of donuts in the end. people have their preferences and it’s nice we’re gone. The hope is that by the time
With the gauntlet thrown and the rules announced, that we can cater to that.” we’re gone, the majority of the public
the clothing drive’s donations soared. The sites are smaller than some previ- will be vaccinated and the local doctor’s
For 60 days Airmen and civilian contractors around Airmen from the 432nd ous locations. offices won’t be overwhelmed.”
Creech donated to the drive. The final count of items do- Maintenance Squadron
nated across the installation was 2,267 items of clothing. sort through clothing
The 432nd MXG’s Munitions Flight won the competi- donations May 18, 2021,
tion decisively with a total of 857 items donated. at Creech Air Force Base,
“At first they didn’t give anything,” Sojourner said. Nev. Airmen across the
“Then in the last couple weeks they came in and handed 432nd Wing donated Courtesy photograph
over 857 items and blew every other unit out of the water.” 2,267 items of clothing to Senior Master Sgt. Ashley Metcalf, 926th Force Support Squadron, sustainment services
After the donation period came to an end, several local shelters in Las Vegas. flight chief, and his husband Eric, during a Pride 5k in Atlanta, Ga., June 15, 2019.
volunteers including Sojourner and Johana separated and
organized the clothes for three days and then delivered “That was problematic and challenging for me, not just because of the fear of
it to local shelters in Vegas. losing my job, but because that was the whole of my identity to those people, and
“The volunteer coordinators were surprised to see us
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
pull up in a moving truck full of donations,” Johana said. easy,” he said.
“A lot of people struggled through COVID lockdowns He said he believes true Diversity and Inclusion in the Air Force will come as
and I hope that the donations can help.” others step up and advocate for all experiences, not just their own.
Johana said the clothing drive made a difference and “We’re not always thinking about what is valuable to other people and I think
the secret to its success was advertising, planning and that is what creates separation,” he said. “I’m bound to make mistakes, but for me
most importantly the people. that’s part of what connects me to the people who are trying to connect with me.”
“I know a lot of people that struggled through CO- Metcalf said he now shares his story for anyone who may feel different.
VID,” Johana said. “It can be hard for people in shelters, “The power of inclusion is to show someone a version of themselves, to let
and fresh clothes can help.” them see something different and allow them to believe that they too can be
According to Johana, the clothing drive also brought there,” he said.
people closer together as a squadron. Army National Guard photograph by Spec. Adrianne Lopez To those who say why celebrate the individual Airman, Metcalf said, “What
Air Force photographs by Staff Sgt. Haley Stevens “I’m new to this squadron,” Johana said. “So, this Nevada National Guard Spec. Austin Czarnecki of Joint Task Force 17 administers the an antiqued idea.”
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 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
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 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
cleaning themed clothing drive. everyone that donated and volunteered.” Charleston campuses through Sept. 30. beauty of connection is being seen as your whole self.”