OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Chief Master Sgt. James Binnicker passed away in March 2015, leaving an empty place in his family, and a vacancy at the Air Force Enlisted Village where he served as president and chief executive officer for 15 years.
The Air Force Enlisted Village is a non-profit charity that provides homes primarily for widows of Air Force enlisted members. According to its website, it is now also open to mothers of active-duty and retired Airmen, retired Air Force enlisted couples, and widows and retired couples of other military services.
Binnicker was known as an advocate for enlisted members during his time in the Air Force, but his dedication did not end on his retirement. He put his stamp on the AFEV with “The Mom Rule,” which asked of the employees of the AFEV to think of how they would treat their own moms as they delivered care to the residents.
“Chief Master Sergeant Binnicker served his country,” said Master Sgt. Cynthia Schmidt, 7th Air Force Staff First Sergeant. “He made it all the way to the top and then he retired. Still, after his retirement, he was completely committed to the Air Force people and for 15 years served as the president of the Air Force Enlisted Village. That is true service.”
Binnicker’s legacy of service inspired Team Osan’s First Sergeants’ Council to begin an awareness campaign for the AFEV and the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Scholarship Program.
The scholarship program, created in 1987, is open to high school graduates and college students of Air Force members. It is funded mainly by donations and according to its website has awarded more than 250 scholarships worth more than $350,000 since 1988.
According to Senior Master Sgt. Randall Bach, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron First Sergeant, Binnicker was a big proponent for supporting enlisted members, so now is the ideal time to raise awareness. One out of 10 times, people aren’t even aware such scholarship programs exist, he said.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the AFEV can visit the website at http://afev.us/. Information on the CMSAF Scholarship Program can be found at http://www.hqafsa.org/scholarships.html. People can also contact their first sergeant for more information.
