Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | Gloria Golden, mother of the late Capt. Jonathan Golden, 39th Airlift Squadron C-130J...... read more read more
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Gloria Golden, mother of the late Capt. Jonathan “JJ” Golden, was the first Gold Star family member at Dyess Air Force Base to receive a Defense Biometric Identification System ID card through the Air Force Gold Star Family Member program, July 18.
Capt. Golden was one of four Dyess aircrew members who passed away in a 2015 C-130J Super Hercules crash in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Oct. 2, 2015.
The DBIDS ID card allows Gold Star family members to have access to any Department of Defense installation, even if they did not serve in the military.
Col. Ed Sumangil, 7th Bomb Wing commander, presented the newly printed ID card to Gloria, thanking her for Capt. Golden's service and her continued dedication to the Air Force.
“We want to ensure Ms. Golden knows she is always a part of, not just of the Air Force family, but especially the Dyess family,” Sumangil said. “She will always be welcome on Dyess Air Force Base.”
Gold Star family members are given access to a number of programs and activities at any base to include the pool, bowling alley, golf course and recreational events. However, even with the DBIDS ID card, they are unable to use the commissary or the base exchange.
This is a part of the Air Force Families Forever program, which links families of fallen Airmen to the Air Force as a means of support through the grieving process.
“I’ve always felt a part of the Air Force,” Golden said. “I spent a lot of time with JJ when he was here at Dyess, and I'm very proud of him and everything he did.”
The Gold Star Family Member program is available to any parent, sibling, spouse or adult child who has lost their military loved one during a terrorist attack, military operation against the enemy, or military operations while serving outside of the U.S. The Air Force introduced the DBIDS ID program for Gold Star family members in May 2017.
Because of Golden's personal connection to Dyess, she didn’t want to go through any other military base to receive her DBIDS ID card. Though she had closer options, Gloria drove nearly four hours from Greenville, Texas.
“It gives me a lot of security in realizing the Air Force recognizes JJ was very special to me,” Golden said. “I want to learn all I can do and experience things he experienced. Just being here makes me feel closer to him.”
For more information about the program, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center here at (325) 696-5999.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2019 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 332630 |
| Location: | DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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