Paying it forward: Colonel sees AFAF help firsthand when home destroyed by Katrina Published March 28, 2006 By Lanorris Askew 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- For years, Col. Robert Simmons had given to the Air Force Assistance Fund hoping to help someone in their time of need. Last year when Hurricane Katrina ravaged Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., destroying his on-base home, that giving mentality came full circle. “When a catastrophe like that happens, the things you count on day to day aren’t there,” said the new Force Training Directorate director. “You may have money in the bank, but what happens if the bank is flooded, or the power is out and the ATM doesn’t work? What happens, like in my case, if your house gets flooded and you don’t have a computer to pay your bills?” The answers to those questions, at least for Colonel Simmons and many of his fellow Airmen at Keesler, came in the form of the Air Force Aid Society. The annual campaign raises money for four Air Force-related charities that benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard, retired Airmen, surviving spouses and families. Colonel Simmons said this year’s campaign will be a way for him to give back to something he can’t even begin to put a value on. Serving as the 2nd Air Force director of operations at the time, the colonel said he and his family had taken the usual precautions of filling up the car, setting aside food, and had some cash ready at hand which they were going to need, but when the storm water flooded his home he needed to move his two sons, then 16 and 20, to their grandparent’s house in Massachusetts. He was able to buy the plane tickets, but said he needed some money to give them in case of emergency. “The airports were having problems, and in case they got diverted or had a problem en route I wanted to make sure they had something to live on,” he said. “They had set up the Air Force Aid Society on base, and like everyone else who needed help, I signed up. They were giving grants of up to $500, but because I needed just enough to give the boys for travel I got a lesser amount.” He said AFAS was one of the agencies who were there first to provide assistance to the Air Force. “To me they were real heroes,” he said. “They did a great job and it was greatly appreciated.” Colonel Simmons said he had been a regular contributor to the campaign and had seen the good that it does secondhand for years. “Organizations that I’ve been a part of have received more benefits than what they donated, so I always felt that it was always important for me to contribute, and for people in my organization to understand that contributing is important,” he said. “You’ll never know when you need the help. It’s always nice to know that there’s someone there to help.”