Face of Defense: Airman Gives Back to Veterans

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jason Boyd, 110th Attack Wing

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Sept. 29, 2017 — Air Force Senior Airman Javonte Lofton works as a hazardous material specialist with the Michigan Air National Guard’s 110th Logistics Readiness Squadron here, and he said it’s his duty to give back to the men and women who wore the uniform before him whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Veterans hold a special place in his heart, Lofton said. His wife is a disabled veteran. She deployed to Iraq with the Army Reserve’s 428th Military Police Company in 2010-11, and then to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2012-13. So, he said, America owes it to veterans to show them that what they have done for the nation is appreciated.

Veterans in Need

Many of these men and women may have physically come home, but many of them also left a piece of themselves there. Some came home and struggled to adapt to being a civilian again. They lost their families, homes and friends, and ended up living on the streets. The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there are 39,471 homeless veterans in America on any given night. Many are homeless because they aren’t receiving the care and benefits that they are entitled to.

There are also veterans that have homes, but can’t do the things that they used to. They can’t get out and mow their lawns or shovel their driveways, and they don’t have family help them.

“Many of these guys are retired and they just can’t get out there and do some of these things for themselves anymore,” said Lofton, who often spends his spare time helping veterans.

Small Gestures Mean Big Things

Even the smallest of gestures can go a long way in making a difference. Some people spend time at the VA hospital or veterans homes, just stopping in to say “Hi.” Others help out veterans in their community by mowing lawns, which is what Lofton does for the people in his neighborhood.

“I just figure that I am already out here, and it takes an extra 20 minutes or so to mow the lawn or shovel off their driveway,” Lofton said.

Lofton also helps others in need by donating money to hurricane relief and assisting inner-city youth in the community here.

“I also try to mentor some of the kids that I see at the basketball court to help keep them out trouble and let them know that it’s not what you have on the outside that makes them who they are,” he said.

He said he doesn’t help others for the recognition; he just wants to do what he thinks is right and to do his part to make his community, and the lives of a few veterans, a little better.

“I don’t really do a lot. I just try to help out where I can,” Lofton said. “These people already did their part for us. It’s the least I can do for them.”