SHALIMAR — On Friday, the Air Force Enlisted Village signed the deed allowing the facility to acquire 80 acres from Eglin Air Force Base to build Victory Village, a new retirement community for wounded warriors and their caregivers.
The event began with remarks by Brook McLean, retired chief master sergeant and AFEV president and CEO. McLean noted that thousands of Air Force widows and retirees have come through the doors of either the Bob Hope Village or the assisted living facility called the Hawthorn House over the past 50 years.
According to McLean, Victory Village answers a pressing need for the military community. AFEV is a one-of-a-kind facility that currently only serves members with ties to the Air Force. With Victory Village, service members of other branches, such as the Navy and Marine Corps, will be able to receive quality senior care.
“We saw an opportunity," McLean said. "We used to pat ourselves on the back, saying that we were the only service that had the vision to be able to put this in place. And then we reshaped things a little bit and started thinking about the opportunities that were in front of us. We thought, we have the platform already. Let’s figure out how to expand. Let’s figure out how to take what we have and open it up to more people.”
The initial push for the village came about seven years ago after a series of meetings with board members, community leaders and elected officials.
One idea proposed during these meetings was to give an aid request to U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and then-U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. This saw the 80-acre purchase included in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act just four months after AFEV officials contacted Gaetz and Nelson.
With the $5 million land purchase, McLean said that it will directly impact the local military community.
“Rather than have that money go up to the government and into the black hole, where it probably wouldn’t have made a ripple in anybody’s budget, we were able to keep that money at Eglin Air Force Base,” McLean added. “So we’re able to pour that back into the quality of life for our teammates at Eglin.”
Ravi Chaudhary, under secretary of the U.S. Air Force for energy, installations and environment and Gen. James C. Slife, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, also presided over the ceremony.
In a conversation with McLean a day before the ceremony, he added that it would be about 10 to 15 years before Victory Village opens to the military community, coinciding with an aging veteran population who either served in the Gulf War or the Global War on Terror.
Once completed, Victory Village will allow 800 residents to live on campus. Amenities will include a multi-denominational chapel, fitness center, swimming pool, walking paths, retail stores and a fire and EMS substation to serve AFEV and the Poquito Bayou neighborhood.
AFEV officials' next steps are gaining proper zoning requirements from Okaloosa County officials and finalizing master plans. Since AFEV is a nonprofit organization, McLean said during the ceremony that donations from the community would be needed for the project to continue.
To donate to Victory Village, go to victoryvillage.us.
Most Popular
Comments / 0