Air Force Family Appreciates School Supplies and Much More at Backpack Event
When Air Force spouse Brittany Garfield told her oldest two children they were going on a “big kids outing” to get backpacks and school supplies, they got excited.
Memories of face painting, bracelet making, and a large, green gecko mascot from the previous summer’s Operation Homefront Back-to-School Brigade® event in San Antonio, Texas, flooded back for the children. The outing also meant they would get special time with their mom while their two younger siblings stayed home with their dad, Staff Sgt. Jacob “Jake” Garfield.
Brittany and Jake became acquainted with Operation Homefront while stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. There, Brittany attended a Holiday Meals for Military® event while Jake was deployed and she was pregnant with Beckett.
“We love coming out to all Operation Homefront events because they make a difference,” Brittany said. “We get to experience things we wouldn’t get to experience because people like Operation Homefront dedicate their time volunteering for us military families.”
Since their 2023 PCS move to Texas, where Jake is a medical lab instructor at Joint Base San Antonio, the Garfields have attended two Back-to-School Brigade® events. They appreciate the school supplies and enjoy the sense of community.
The events allow the Garfields to meet other military families with young children, Jake said.
“The events truly make a difference.” – Brittany Garfield, Air Force spouse
Brittany gathers resources at the events to help the family adapt to their new community. She has learned about everything from school options for her children and a university program through which she’s studying accounting to on-base events for military children.
“We don’t live on base, so we don’t have that camaraderie in our neighborhood where our children can see other families experiencing things like PCS moves or dad being deployed,” she said. “Base events allow our kids to interact with other kids that experience the same thing so they can better navigate that.”
The Garfields monitor Operation Homefront’s social media sites for event notifications.
“It’s hard when you move and don’t have a support system,” Brittany said. “The events truly make a difference and show that families are supported as much as the military member.”
