No "butts" about it, Airmen keep community clean

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Nearly a dozen Airmen scooped up several bags of aluminum cans, Styrofoam cups and cigarette butts as part of a volunteer highway cleanup outside the gates of Hurlburt Field, Fla., Aug. 26.

The effort to beautify the two-mile area along Highway 98 was sponsored by the Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 567 committee.

"We want to keep the highway along the Emerald Coast beautiful," said Staff Sgt. Roberto Chang, 2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron NCO in charge of Commander's Support Staff and AFSA committee member. "Plus we want to keep this highway clean as people drive by our base, and we can portray a sharp military image to them as well."

With cars and trucks driving past them and CV-22 Ospreys flying overhead, the volunteers spent nearly two hours clearing both sides of the highway.

Airmen volunteers said they felt encouraged by the support he received from passers-by.
"A lady even stopped by in her driveway and told us thanks for picking the trash up," said Staff Sgt. Roddy Dennis, 2nd CWSS resource advisor.

AFSA hopes to perform future clean-ups on a monthly basis to keep the road as clean as possible.

"This was a great team effort," he said. "I hope we can do this again, because it felt pretty awesome to do this today."

For more information about AFSA or future clean up drives, visit the chapter's webpage at http://www.chap567.afsa.net/.