Offutt members enjoy giving thanks before the holidays Published Nov. 26, 2025 By Charles J. Haymond 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Team Offutt members participate in Thanksgiving Day events Nov. 21, 2025, ahead of the holiday at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The Offutt Advisory Council kick started the day alongside some 55th Wing leadership and volunteers as they handed out approximately six hundred turkeys, six hundred hams, 900 pounds of hamburger meat and gift cards to help assist with other groceries outside the James M. McCoy Airmen Leadership School. 55th Wing leadership knows how important it is to help those in need. “I think that it is very important because traditionally the holidays normally have a high statistic of mental health issues and of course for the military members they are far away from home and their families,” said Master Sgt. Rashan Taggart, 55th Comptrollers Squadron and Wing Staff Agency first sergeant. “We try to assist them the best we can during the holidays.” While the volunteers packed people’s cars as they drove through the ALS parking lot, Airmen from the 55th Maintenance and 55th Operations Groups gathered with their families for a luncheon inside Dock 1 and a tour of an RC-135 aircraft outside the bay doors. “To coordinate this event my team reached out to several agencies across base to ensure proper safety and documentation were provided for the event,” said 2nd Lieutenant Wyatt Vivier 55th Maintenance Squadron accessories flight commander. “We worked with plans and scheduling in both the Maintenance and Ops Groups to get a static jet for families to tour and partnered with our Security Forces squadron to make sure we did it safely! Lt Schafer did a great job coordinating with her fellow flyers to make sure there’d be plenty of food for all attendees.” 1st Lt. Lindsay Schafer, 38th Reconnaissance Squadron electronic warfare officer, wanted to maximize her effort to help organize the event along with two other airmen to ensure the event would be a success. “I personally wanted to give my efforts, time, and energy to create an event for people to remember as the time they ate Turkey next to the biggest bird, the RC-135,” Schafer said. “Seeing the airman participate in the event was incredible, hundreds of people feasting at the tables turned out to be a success.” Vivier wanted to make sure this event would bring team Offutt members together who otherwise wouldn’t normally be. “It’s important that we provide an opportunity for service members to break bread with one another and be able to have a taste of home whenever we can provide it,” Vivier said. “Having the Ops and Maintenance Groups come together also allows us to come together when we are sometimes competing with different priorities. It’s a great way for all of us to take a brief pause from the rigorous flying schedule and take time to nurture the important relationship between flyers and fixers.” Not only did Vivier want to bring together team Offutt members, but Chief Master Sgt. Jesse Lewandoski, 55th Maintenance Group senior enlisted leader, felt this was an opportunity for all service members to take a break from work and enjoy sometime together. “Maintenance and Ops are two side of the same coin; you cannot have one without the other,” Lewandoski said. “The 55th Wing at Offutt is unique and blessed to have multiple mission partners from both the Guard and Reserve, making it a truly TFI Wing. Quoting Maj Jacobs 170MXSS/CC “One Team No Seam” events like this only cement the bond between them.” Some individuals may feel alone during the holidays, but these events display the connectedness that team Offutt members work tirelessly to preserve. “I feel like I’m not alone,” said Airmen 1st Class John Morgan, 55th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “These are not just my co-workers because these are my brothers and sisters. It’s nice to know I have a family here and a family back home.”