Air Force Enlisted Village Celebrates Purchase of U.S. Air Force Land for Victory Village

Contact: Scarlett Bauman, Marketing Manager    

                850-651-3766 (work) or scarlett.bauman@afev.us

Air Force Enlisted Village Celebrates Purchase of U.S. Air Force Land for Victory Village

Shalimar, Fla. (July 15, 2024) – The Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV) celebrated the recent purchase of 80 acres of land from the U.S. Air Force with a Deed Signing Ceremony on July 12, 2024. The former Eglin AFB land in Shalimar, Florida will be used to build Victory Village, a nonprofit retirement community with a specialized lifestyle for aging wounded warriors and their caregivers.

Over 200 people attended the event which featured special guest speakers Gen. James C. Slife, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, and the Honorable Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment.

AFEV President and CEO Brooke McLean described meeting with board members, community leaders, and elected officials seven years ago with the idea of how to create this joint base community for enlisted military members.

“In the 50-plus years that this organization has been in existence, we have seen thousands of Air Force widows and retired couples. And today, Air Force Enlisted Village has about 600 residents here,” McLean said. “I started thinking about the opportunity to help wounded warriors and the caregivers as they go through the aging process. And they’re going to go through an aging process that’s not going to be like any of the rest of us.”

Victory Village will be located adjacent to the Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV). Plans for the community include multiple neighborhoods for 800 people to reside, a community center, a multidenominational chapel, a fitness center, a swimming pool, walking paths, retail services, and an EMS substation to serve the Poquito Bayou neighborhood.

“Words can’t describe what our wounded warriors and the families have meant to our nation. But to do something this tangible, this impactful for them cannot be understated,” Chaudhary, said.

Slife mentioned most people in the serving and veteran community miss the camaraderie.

“When you think about what Victory Village will be for the communities that it serves, it provides that sense of purpose and a community of shared values,” Slife said.

Victory Village will also be home to surviving spouses of retired enlisted service members and retired enlisted couples of all military branches of service with plans to offer a continuum of care complete with on-site skilled nursing. The community will be constructed in increments and will take ten to fifteen years to complete.

Also participating in the event: Eglin AFB Honor Guard presented the colors, AFEV COO Cory Olson served as MC, Bob Hope Village resident Ernest Tucker sang the National Anthem, and Dolores Hope All-Faiths Chapel Chaplain Bethel Bateson provided the invocation.

The Deed Signing Ceremony can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXCQYqoIOtU&t=2029s.

To learn more about Victory Village, please visit www.victoryvillage.us.

About Victory Village
Victory Village is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit with plans to develop a veteran senior living community in Shalimar, FL across from Air Force Enlisted Village. Victory Village will provide resources and services tailored to meet the financial, physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs of its residents. This blended community will be comprised of wounded warriors and their caregivers, the surviving spouses of retired enlisted Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Guardians, and retired enlisted couples. For more information about Victory Village, please visit www.victoryvillage.us or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTX9R2hRDLo&t=30s.

About the Air Force Enlisted Village
The Air Force Enlisted Village is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that provides a home for surviving spouses of retired enlisted Air Force members at Bob Hope Village (active, independent living) and Hawthorn House (assisted living and memory care) in Shalimar, FL near Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field. At Bob Hope Village and Hawthorn House, residents enjoy worry-free living and camaraderie while sharing memories of military life. To learn more about the Air Force Enlisted Village, please visit www.afev.us.

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Cutlines

1.      AFEV_Deed Signing-57 (Signing)

The Honorable Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment, Gen. James C. Slife, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, and Brooke McLean, Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV) President/CEO sign the deed to 80 acres of land AFEV purchased from the U.S. Air Force at a Deed Signing Ceremony on July 12, 2024, at Bob Hope Village in Shalimar, Florida. The land, adjacent to AFEV, will be used to construct Victory Village, a nonprofit retirement community with a specialized lifestyle for aging wounded warriors and their caregivers.

2.      AFEV_Deed Signing-51 (Slife)

Gen. James C. Slife, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, served as a guest speaker at a Deed Signing Ceremony on July 12, 2024, at Bob Hope Village in Shalimar, Florida. Slife said most people in the veteran community miss the camaraderie, and Victory Village will provide a sense of purpose and a community of shared values.

3.      AFEV_Deed Signing-44 (Chaudhary)

The Honorable Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment, a guest speaker at a Deed Signing Ceremony on July 12, 2024, at Bob Hope Village in Shalimar, Florida, said words can’t describe what our wounded warriors and their families mean to our nation. He said building Victory Village would be impactful for them and cannot be understated.

4.      AFEV_Deed Signing-39 (McLean)

Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV) President/CEO Brooke McLean said it has taken seven years to get to the day of purchasing land from the U.S. Air Force to build Victory Village. He said the idea of Victory Village provided an opportunity to help wounded warriors and their caregivers because their aging process will be very different.

5.      AFEV_Deed Signing-37 (Tucker and Eglin Honor Guard)

Bob Hope Village resident Ernest Tucker sang the National Anthem and Eglin AFB Color Guard presented the colors during a Deed Signing Ceremony held July 12, 2024, at Bob Hope Village in Shalimar, Florida. AFEV purchased 80 acres of land from the U.S. Air Force that will be used to build a “joint base” retirement community for wounded warriors, their caregivers, retired enlisted surviving spouses and married couples.