Village affords widow new beginning, new life Published March 9, 2007 By Jodi Jordan Air Force Enlisted Village HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Due to a fire in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, one Air Force widow was left homeless - all of her belongings were gone. Betty McCutcheon had read about the Air Force Enlisted Village a couple of years prior to the fire and had already applied for resident status. After the fire, her daughter called the admissions department right away. Mrs. McCutcheon was in an apartment in Bob Hope Village within two weeks. Debbie Carrier, BHV deputy director of resident services and Polly Alligood, community center director, gathered items such as dishes and furniture - much of it donated by other residents - to furnish the apartment until Mrs. McCutcheon could purchase her own. "I expected there to be only mattresses on the floor," said Mrs. McCutcheon, "but the apartment was completely furnished." Mrs. McCutcheon joined the Women's Air Force in 1953 and spent three years doing administrative work in communications. She met her husband, Master Sgt. Jack McCutcheon at Westover Air Force Base, Mass., and they were married in 1956. The couple and their three children moved into a new house in Palm Bay, Fla., in 1979. Her husband passed away in 1993, and Mrs. McCutcheon remained in the house until the fire. "We welcomed the opportunity to help Mrs. McCutcheon," said Opal Tibbitts, director of admissions. "Our mission here is to provide a safe, secure home. Dire-need widows are our priority." Mrs. McCutcheon said she likes it very much at Bob Hope Village. "There are a lot of activities, and I like to take walks in the garden. My neighbor has been taking me to church as well," she said. Her son, Kevin, is going to help her purchase new furniture and eventually add a screened-in porch to her apartment.