Air University & Maxwell AFB News

Airmen help build community of respect

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kimberlie Kirkpatrick, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Shooters Aircraft Maintenance Unit assistant officer in charge, steadies a nail before hammering into a rooftop in Sumter, S.C., June 23, 2017. In honor of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month, 20th Fighter Wing Airmen volunteered to help build a home for Habitat for Humanity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Destinee Sweeney)

Airmen help build community of respect

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Michael McDowell, 20th Contracting Squadron contract specialist, hammers a nail to keep weather-proofing tarp material in place in Sumter, S.C., June 23, 2017. McDowell placed the tarp to water-proof the roof, helping to protect the top of the house from rain. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Destinee Sweeney)

Airmen help build community of respect

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Michael McDowell, 20th Contracting Squadron contract specialist, left, and 1st Lt. Kimberlie Kirkpatrick, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Shooters Aircraft Maintenance Unit assistant officer in charge, laugh as they place weather-proofing tarp material on the roof of a house in Sumter, S.C., June 23, 2017. The two volunteered with the Sumter Habitat for Humanity to help build a home for a family in need as part of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Destinee Sweeney)

Airmen help build community of respect

Published June 28, 2017
By Airman 1st Class Destinee Sweeney
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Airmen assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing volunteered to help build a house in Sumter, South Carolina, June 23, in honor of LGBT Pride Month.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month is observed in June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, New York City, New York, a turning point in the U.S. Gay Liberation movement.

The volunteers worked with Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit housing organization that works to provide housing for families in need.

By providing a service to the community, bystanders are encouraged to take interest in the cause being promoted, said 2nd Lt. Michael McDowell, 20th Contracting Squadron contract specialist. Through the Habitat for Humanity project, the volunteers hoped to raise awareness for the LGBT community and cultivate a community of respect.
“Giving back is the best way to bring awareness to a cause,” said McDowell.

The Airmen spent hours placing weather-proofing tarp material on the house’s roof to prevent rain from leaking through.

One volunteer, 1st Lt. Kimberlie Kirkpatrick, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Shooters Aircraft Maintenance Unit assistant officer in charge, said through helping others she gained perspective.

“You take your life for granted, but when you’re able to give back to the community like this it brings you back to earth,” said Kirkpatrick.

McDowell, who led the LGBT Pride Month committee, said the volunteers worked to open conversations about respect and tolerance by giving back to the local community through the Habitat for Humanity project and providing an opportunity for people to learn about the LGBT community during a “lunch and learn” hosted earlier in the month.

“When you don’t understand something you tend to fear or hate it,” said McDowell. “For us to break that narrative of hate and misunderstanding, we do things like this.”