Our family had a real treat this year for Thanksgiving Dinner. We adopted two young United States Air Force Airmen to join us for our Thanksgiving Dinner. The idea came to us four years ago when a family adopted my son Phillip while he was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois. Phillip told me it was a great experience having dinner off-base with a family. He also said being able to call us at home when the “Host Family” offered their phone to call was the best part. I knew then our family would like to be a part of just such a program, but it was not until last year that I knew how to be a part of it after reading an article in the newspaper.

The article introduced United States Navy Construction Mechanic Petty Officer First Class (CM1) Michael G. Robb, a Naval Military Training Instructor at the Naval Construction Training Center onboard the Seabee base in Port Hueneme (NBVC). He said that every year, a number of local citizens in Ventura County volunteer to provide a home-cooked meal for sailors who are far away from home for the holidays. This included the Thanksgiving and Christmas meal. CM1 Robb hoped that Ventura County families were willing to open their hearts and homes and help our service members while they are away from their families due to their military service!

I responded to the article by emailing CM1 Robb, michael.g.robb@navy.mil, and to my surprise I was not able to be selected to participate in last years program due to the strong support Ventura County families showed by Hosting all the students that wanted to participate in the program. I was, however, placed on a list for this year.

As promised I was contacted by CM1 Robb. I was again surprised to learn that I would be able to Host two USAF Airmen and not sailors like I had expected! USAF Airmen I learned also trained at the same training center as Sailors. CM1 Robb told me he had seventy students to place this year and they were a mixture of Sailors and Airmen. So our family Hosted United States Air force Airman First Class Bryan Rebenne, 20 years old from Aurora, Colorado and Airman Lacree Irish, 19 years old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Both were training to drive heavy equipment vehicles that load cargo on USAF aircraft. Lacree told me that she was only one of two females her her class.

The requirements of the program are that the Host Family provide the transportation to and from the Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), that the students are Hosted as a pair for their safety and to make it more comfortable for them and that they are not offered, or do they consume alcohol while with the Host Family. There is also a 10:00 PM curfew for them to be back at the NBVC. Easy enough and understandable so we were now an official Host Family!

I received a phone call a couple days before Thanksgiving from A1C Rebenne to introduce himself and set a time for me to pick both him and Airman Irish up. I picked up both students at the NBVC's Visitors Center at around 1:00 PM. We drove to our home in Fillmore getting to know each other as we drove. The USAF requires the USAF students to leave and reenter the base in full uniform so both were dressed in their Dress Blue uniforms which would prove to not be the most comfortable attire on an 83 degree day! My nine year-old Grandson Josh and six-year old Granddaughter Brynna rode with me and they quickly became friends with both A1C Rebenne and Airman Irish.

Once home in Fillmore my other family members, an additional nine, introduced themselves and soon they were part of our family enjoying conversation, Wii games and board games before and after the Thanksgiving meal. Rather than make phone calls home each chose to use our family computers to sign onto Facebook and emails to contact family and friends which proved to be an excellent way for them to reconnect. The day was so comfortable with both of the young military service members that they stayed until approximately 8:30 PM when I dropped them back off at the NBVC. Because I felt a connection to them I gave them my contact numbers in the event they needed anything while attending school here. We shook hands, hugged and said goodbye at the Visitor Center. I actually think they felt the same connection and I may hear from at least Lacree who told me she would like to see Hollywood. Bryan seemed to like to hang out so I expect he may also call.

Both told me they would be going home for Christmas but each had approximately three more months of training here in Ventura County before they are transferred to their permanent duty station. Bryan told me his father, a retired USAF Senior Master Sergeant, had told him that if he ever had an opportunity to participate in the “Thanksgiving or Christmas Adopt and Airman Program” that he should participate. Bryan said he was glad he followed his father's advice!

I would encourage all of you to consider this program and to use the email address of CM1 Robb I have included in this article to contact him to place your family as willing Hosts for this program. From my experience with the Program I would now call it, “Thanksgiving-Christmas Adopt-A-Sailor, or Airman Program!”