GFAFB receives N.D. thanks

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael Meridith
  • Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  “It happened very fast,” said Ellen Houska, remembering the fire that claimed her home Jan. 23. Minutes after waking to the panicked cries of her three children and the sounds of fire alarms, the wife of North Dakota National Guardsman Wayne Houska (on temporary duty then to Fort Hood, Texas) and her family were left homeless. 

Scant days later, the situation changed when family support officials from Houska’s unit made phone calls to Grand Forks Air Force Base asking for help. 

“Within four hours from that first call the request went to Col. [Bill] Bender [319th Air Refueling Wing Commander] and he said they would be glad to provide the Houskas with base housing,” said North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven. 

“Since then it has gone beyond housing to monetary donations, dozens of cards and letters of support and much more.” 

Governor Hoeven presented Colonel Bender with the state’s Meritorious Service Medal, recognizing the base’s support during a public ceremony in Grand Forks Tuesday. 

Although her husband was able to return from Fort Hood briefly, he has since deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Global War On Terror, leaving Ellen Houska to sift through the wreckage of her home while caring for her children. Fortunately, she hasn’t been alone in that endeavor. 

“We’ve had so much support … it’s really incredible. I can’t thank everyone enough … the whole military family has been wonderful,” she said, offering thanks to individuals like Peggy Walker of the base’s family support center, who helped arrange furniture and household goods for their new home; Senior Airman Richard Leary of the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, who spent hours helping her inventory burnt furnishings for the insurance claim, and many others who assisted in a multitude of ways. 

Mrs. Houska also took time to offer public praise for her absent husband, noting, “I don’t think you should just be a Soldier when it’s convenient. Being a Soldier is a higher calling and we need to honor that.” 

Colonel Bender agreed, observing that the help offered by the base was nothing special; rather it was part of what being an Airman is all about. 

“It’s the least we can do to make ourselves a part of the solution to a very difficult problem,” he said. “We call it the wingman culture. But what we’re really talking about is taking care of each other. It makes us proud to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”