AFA in Action

A Message from the President

November 28, 2025

Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We indeed have much to be grateful for.

We appreciate Congress for putting the longest government shutdown in U.S. history behind us. Now their real work continues, which includes: Guaranteeing protection for our uniformed service members, their civilian counterparts, and their families by passing full-year appropriations bills and ending this cycle of destructive temporary measures. We do not need a repeat government shutdown at the end of this Continuing Resolution.

Thank you to all AFA members and advocates who answered our rally cry, contacted elected representatives during the shutdown, and spoke up for service members, defense civilians, and their families. Please don’t stop: Tell Congress it must never again use our military as a political bargaining chip.

Thank you to everyone who donated to our shutdown relief fund! Your generous support for Airmen, Guardians, civilians, veterans, and families impacted by the shutdown was inspiring. Rest assured we are using these funds responsibly to ease the lingering consequences of this shutdown and to be proactive in case something like this happens again.

Thank you to all the AFA Chapters who responded with local initiatives. Food bank support and other quality-of-life projects are now ongoing at Tinker AFB, Shaw AFB, Buckley SFB, Dobbins ARB, Bolling AFB, Duluth ANGB, and many more. We are grateful to be on your team. Food insecurity is a real and continuing problem on bases coast to coast. I encourage your Chapter to apply for a $1,000 grant from our F2 program to support family initiatives on your local installations.

Most of all, thank you to the Total Force Airmen and Guardians, and all the Total Force Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and civilian employees who never stopped serving their nation—even when our nation stopped their paychecks. The United States of America is indebted to your loyalty.

Thank you for making a difference, and happy Thanksgiving!

Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.)
President & CEO

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