Photo By Jerry Hewitt | Members from Barnes Air National Guard Base pose for a photo after a charity golf...... read more read more
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Member of the 104th Fighter Wing Collaborates to Raise Awareness for Local Charities
By Melanie J. Casineau, 104th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts- A friendly golf conversation between Senior Master Sgt. CJ Eldridge of the 439th Maintenance Operations Squadron at Westover Air Reserve Base and Master Sgt. Corey Day of the 104th Fighter Wing Maintenance Squadron at Barnes Air National Guard Base sparked an idea to strengthen relationships between military units through the game of golf.
“In 2022, we came up with the idea of having a Barnes versus Westover golf tournament at Agawam Municipal Golf Course to build on this relationship,” Day said. “That year, we had approximately 16 teams, which equates to 64 people.”Westover took home the trophy for the first year.
The second event was held in 2024 at Ledges Golf Course. Day and Eldridge expanded the scope to include a charitable component, raising $1,340 for the Pioneer Valley USO with 24 teams (96 participants) competing. That year, Barnes claimed the trophy.
In spring 2025, the event evolved further with participation from former Barnes members now serving at Bradley Air National Guard Base. Renamed the W.B.B. Golf Charity Classic, the tournament continued its focus on benefiting military-related charities.
The third tournament took place at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and drew a full field of 36 teams (144 players), along with 19 event sponsors, volunteers and representatives from organizations including Home Front Strong, Irreverent Warriors and
Cigars4Soldiers. Westover took the trophy for the second time.
Jennifer Baublitz, Homefront Strong Executive Director, was asked to attend the charity tournament from Eldridge and gladly accepted.
“We were beyond thrilled to host a table at the tournament to share information with the service members in attendance. Many of us at HomeFront Strong have deep ties to the Guard/Reserve, so we know how tough it is to engage families who are actively serving while balancing families and roles in the civilian world,” said Baublitz.
On July 28, 2025, donations from participants, sponsors and community members resulted in $5,000 contributions to both Home Front Strong and Irreverent Warriors.
Homefront Strong is a small nonprofit, powered largely by dedicated volunteers, with a couple of paid part-time employees on the books. The mission of HomeFront Strong, is to build resilience in veterans and military families through targeted programs and resources.
“This unrestricted donation of $5,000 is considerable to us in terms of time and resources! Every minute we don't have to worry about operational funding is time we can dedicate to engaging the broader community by attending outreach events, recruiting new volunteers, and building partnerships with other organizations,” said Baublitz. “In more tangible terms, a donation of $5,000 could mean 5-10 new stories of service
are recorded and shared, or two new groups of volunteers are trained to be paired for storytelling and community peer support.”
“As we conclude each event, we truly hope to spread camaraderie, community engagement and exposure to as many supporting agencies as possible,” Day said. “Through the game of golf, someone may just find the resource and help they didn’t know they needed.”
After three successful tournaments, organizers expect the charity event to become an annual event among the three wings.
“This event has grown immensely, and for that, we expect it to grow even more next year,” Daysaid.
For Ariel Reyes, a civilian member of the 104th Fighter Wing’s Civil Engineering Squadron,2025 was the first time participating. “Comradery, fun and a little competition between local units made this a great event,” Reyes said. “I would definitely do this again.”
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 544418 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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