Photo By Senior Airman Ryan Hayman | The Gibson family receives the 2022 Abilene Military Family of the Year award during...... read more read more
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“I don't think there's much that sets us apart from other military families. We're out here grinding just like other military families. There are many military families like us living the military way of life with all of its benefits and challenges.” Said Master Sgt. Kyle Gibson.
Senior Master Sgt. Katie Gibson, 317th Airlift Wing Inspector General Superintendent, Master Sgt. Kyle Gibson, 7th Bomb Wing Airman Leadership School Commandant, and their three children, Kristian, Kora and Kamden were awarded the Abilene Military Affairs Committee’s 2022 Military Family of the Year. The award was presented during the Abilene Military Affairs Committee (MAC)’s 57th World’s Largest Barbecue at the Abilene Convention Center on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
"As someone who is also in a dual-military family, I understand the unique challenges facing these couples,” said Col. Tom Lankford, 317th Airlift Wing Commander, “The Gibsons not only juggle family and mission obligations, but they go above and beyond to make our community better. I'm pleased to see their efforts recognized and we're thankful to have such outstanding Airmen at America's Lift and Strike Base."
For nearly four years, the Gibson family have made their presence known in Abilene, a city that has set the bar for a thriving relationship between the local community and Dyess military personnel.
“We arrived in October of 2018 from Joint Base Andrews and Joint Base Bolling, so it was quite a change of pace coming to Abilene. The community that surrounds Dyess is far more supportive than any other assignment we've been to.” said Master Sgt. Gibson
Through volunteer work, personal and professional relationships, and family values, the Gibsons bridged their military service with service to the Big Country community. The Gibsons are involved in a variety of volunteer programs, to include Meals on Wheels, serving as one of the military liaisons for Abilene's Home Away From Home Program, and encouraging base organizations to give back too. “My team and I at the Airman Leadership School brought back community involvement projects as an initiative. Students, cadre and I have since been able to collaborate with the Dyess We Care Team and several other organizations.” Master Sgt. Gibson added.
The Gibson parents are not the only ones that have embedded with the Abilene community.
“Kristian plays baseball at Wylie Little League and Kora plays soccer at Big Country Soccer. We've also been super fortunate to live on an awesome street in our neighborhood. Most Fridays, about 20 of us gather in one of our driveways to socialize and let the kids play out in the yard,” Said Master Sgt. Gibson.
When asked what they value the most as a family, both Katie and Kyle Gibson had similar things to say.
“Time. It's the one resource you can never get more of. We try to spend as much time together as possible. At our previous assignments, Katie and I were TDY (temporary duty) a lot and spent more time than we wanted away from our kids. So, we make an effort to do things as a family,” said Kyle Gibson.
“We spend so much of our day apart, so the occasions that we get to spend time as a family unit in invaluable.” Katie Gibson Added.
The Gibson family makes the necessary sacrifices to succeed at work, and give back to the community while always maintaining family their key priority.
“It's humbling to receive this award because we know there are some exceptional military families here at Dyess,” said Kyle Gibson. “It means a lot to me that we are able to share this experience with our children. They mean everything to us and are part of the reason we continue to serve.”
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Military Family of the Year
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Community Support for Military Families
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Related links:
https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/2021/12/09/abilene-wins-barksdale-trophy-again-support-dyess-afb/6447787001/
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2022 14:52 |
| Story ID: | 426349 |
| Location: | ABILENE, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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