By DENNIS ANDERSON
Special to Aerotech News and Review
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Imagine being a kid holding onto the parents, in line for Santa Claus, and the big red elf arrives in an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
“Yes, Santa showed up in an F-16 and the kids all got their pictures taken with him in the back of a C-17,” said Master Sgt. Stanley Wesley with the 412th Maintenance Wing at Edwards.
That’s correct. Santa was handing out presents to children about 10 shopping days before Christmas from the off the back deck of one of the largest military transports in the world.
A team of on-base organizations, local non-profits and community leaders turned out on Saturday to distribute hundreds of gifts to nearly 500 children from the Edwards Air Force Base community.
“We are just taking care of everyone in our base community,” Wesley said.
Somewhere out there is a little girl with a 5-foot teddy bear donated by Juan and Atherine Blanco, two of the leaders from the Coffee4Vets veterans non-profit that meets weekly at Crazy Otto’s Restaurant in downtown Lancaster.
“Every child received at least one toy, and maybe two,” Master Sgt. Wesley said.
Just as Santa arrived, Brig. Gen. Douglas P. Wickert, base commander and commanding officer of the 412th Test Wing welcomes everyone in to the enormous hangar that subbed in as North Pole for a day.
Many are children of junior-ranking enlisted personnel in younger families whose budgets are just tight enough that a visit from Santa is a welcome budget booster, noted Juan Blanco, who was an enlisted Army paratrooper during the Vietnam War and Cold War eras.
Blanco spent three hours at the base holiday party serving up coffee donated by McDonalds, on theme with the veteran organization’s theme of helping veterans maintain social connections through gathering weekly over a cup of G.I. Joe.
“Everyone just kept coming, but they were all cheerful,” Blanco said.
Among the bright spots in the gift giveaways, and gift givers was Felix Mayerhofer, who is almost 95. Mayerhofer is an Air Force veteran of the Korean War Era. Mayerhofer, a jazz trombonist of the Big Band Era performed in an Air Force band that performed as global emissaries as far away as Greenland during the early years of the Cold War.
Felix turned up to share as gifts hundreds of copies of his many professionally illustrated children’s books like “Horace the Great Harmonica King” and “Guitar Cowboy.” He has been writing and publishing children’s stories for more than 30 years since his retirement as a professional musician and educator.
Mayerhofer, the former Airman, was bowled over by the size of the party venue, “The Big Hangar” at Building 1600, a hangar big enough to house a C-17 and have plenty of room for a fighter jet delivering Santa.
“That had to be the longest, largest, and highest hangar I have ever seen, maybe five stories, Mayerhofer, whose Air Force band used to weed hop to performances in a C-47 Dakota of World War II vintage.
“It seemed like every serviceperson was married and had children,” said Mayerhofer, who retired as director of music programs for the Palmdale School District. “The look of happiness in the children’s faces was a joy to see.
“Every child was polite, and every child got a gift or gifts,” he said.
Most of the toys were donated by community groups like Coffee4Vets, and the event supported by the Edwards Civilian-Military Support Group. Austin Bishop of the Palmdale City Council authorized $500 in discretionary funds to support the toy giveaway. Krispy Kreme donuts supported along with Soldier’s Angels and VETZ Projects and many on-base organizations.
