Military life can be isolating. He found a way to help airmen find purpose and community

When Gordon Storey saw fellow airmen struggling to acclimate to military life on base, he launched a volunteer program for servicemembers that has since completed hundreds of home repair projects for residents in Abilene, Texas.

The marching orders were clear. In 1996, Master Sergeant Gordon Storey was tasked with launching and leading a volunteer program on Dyess Air Force Base. He and fellow airmen would paint and repair homes for local community residents. Storey, who at the time was a very young staff sergeant, accepted the charge. Then, panic set in. “I’m like, you’re putting me in charge of home renovations, and I don’t even know how to repair things!” he said. More than two decades later, Storey and his nonprofit, the Dyess We Care Team – with the help of nearly 15,000 volunteers – have completed hundreds of projects for the elderly and others in need in and around Abilene, Texas. The group has logged almost 100,000 hours fixing up homes in what is a win-win for the community and the airmen. “A lot of times these young airmen, they’re separated from their families, their friends,” Storey said. “They come into the military and it’s such a complete change.” Storey knows firsthand how difficult the transition from civilian to military life can be. Raised in a military family, he joined the Air Force in 1986 but soon wondered if he had made the right decision.