Nellis receives trees for troops Published Dec. 11, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Michael Charles Nellis Public Affairs office NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- In a year when the economy slowing has caused daily living expenses to skyrocket, and a faster deployment tempo is causing military families to find it harder to spend time with each other. The holiday season has become a reason for military dependents to do activities together. Whether it be putting up Christmas lights, making cookies or putting up a Christmas tree, these experiences help bring families closer together. FedEx Corp. and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation have helped to provide one of the tools to bring military families together. For the past five years, FedEx and the SPIRIT Foundation have delivered more than 60,000 Christmas trees to military families around the world during the holiday season as part of the Trees for Troops program. During the same period More than 3,000 trees have been donated to those at Nellis and Creech. Airmen from Nellis and Creech Airmen of all ranks were able to go to the Nellis Chapel Dec. 11, and pick one of 700 Christmas trees that were donated by families from 29 states to the Airmen in the Las Vegas area. "This is a wonderful event that we enjoy doing every year," said Rick Medefesser, FedEx corporate communications senior manager. "We have military veterans and members with family in the armed forces who work for us. We at FedEx are very supportive of servicemembers and thought that this is one way we can show appreciation for the people who protect our freedom on a regular basis." This year, more than 15,000 trees are expected to be delivered to military bases in the United States and overseas, including Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is a great program designed to take care of our young Airmen who are stationed at Nellis and Creech," said Col. Kevin Fox, 99th Mission Support Group commander. Many of the Airmen coming to get these trees are away from family members for the first time in their life. This is designed to get them in the Christmas spirit." The trees were delivered in two FedEx trucks at 5:30 a.m., by two former U.S. Air Force members who have been stationed at Nellis over the course of their career. Tony Petralia, a retired crew chief who worked at the aggressor squadron for one of his tours was able to deliver the trees to Nellis in his first trip to his previous duty station in many years. "This gives us a lot of team spirit at FedEx to be able to deliver trees to 50 bases across the United States for our military," said Mr. Petralia. "It really hits home for me to be around the military again, supporting the organization that took care of me for so many years." Airmen from various organizations around Nellis volunteered to help unload trees and set up a pickup point at the Base Chapel. The 99th Civil Engineer Squadron also helped to load trees onto the cars of the Airmen and family members arriving to choose a tree. Volunteers from the 99 CES also helped family members choose the tree they wanted and trimmed the tree to their preferences. Included with the Christmas trees were letters from the donating families who have written to thank the Airmen for their service. FedEx also donated various toys for dependents along with Christmas cards signed by their corporate headquarters to show support for military members during these uncertain times. "It's a great feeling to have organizations like the two who helped with the Trees for Troops Program supporting the military," said Colonel Fox. "At any given time, Nellis may have more than 1,000 Airmen deployed overseas. These servicemembers appreciate knowing their families are being supported while they are away." Programs such as Trees for Troops are prime examples of how outside organizations support Nellis and Creech Airmen during the holiday season.
