Photo By Staff Sgt. Zachary Herold | Heather Coughenour, Military and Family Readiness Program Manager, and Nicole Elliott,...... read more read more
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — As the federal government shutdown halted pay for Wyoming Air National Guard technicians and traditional Guard members, two people stepped in to make sure no one faced the crisis alone.
Program manager Heather Coughenour and specialist Nicole Elliott from Military Family Readiness spent nearly three weeks supporting more than 227 Airmen and families during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1. Both said the office was able to respond quickly because of something they had built long before the shutdown began: trust.
“It has taken years to earn the trust of our members,” Coughenour said. “People know they can come to us without judgment and without fear. That made all the difference when everything started to unravel.”
That foundation allowed the team to act early. Before the shutdown took effect, they anticipated the impact and created a furlough resource guide that went out the moment paychecks stopped. It included local and national aid, church and nonprofit support, and a detailed Q&A explaining what families could expect. They contacted every organization listed in the guide and continued calling them weekly to verify what was still available as resources shifted.
As financial concerns grew, they coordinated with banks offering 0 percent interest loans and worked with the Air Force Aid Society to ensure affected technicians were eligible for assistance. Even before the first missed paycheck, Coughenour and Elliott were helping Airmen navigate stress, uncertainty and conversations at home about how long the shutdown might last.
When pay officially stopped, the office moved into full crisis mode. One of the first needs they identified was food security. With wing leadership and first sergeants, they helped establish a food pantry on the installation so members did not have to complete intake forms or provide financial documentation to outside agencies. Donations filled the shelves quickly, supplying everything from canned goods and boxed meals to diapers, hygiene products and laundry detergent. They also coordinated with Black Dog Animal Rescue to provide pet food, knowing many members care for their animals as part of the family.
“Our approach was simple: if you tell me you are hungry, we are going to feed you,” Coughenour said.
They soon turned to the cost of getting to drill. Although members were not being paid, they were still required to attend, and many commute from cities hours away. The office distributed $5,000 in fuel vouchers to help offset travel expenses for Airmen driving from across Wyoming and neighboring states. They also helped members stretch their meal budget by directing them to the dining facility’s holiday meal, encouraging them to take a free lunch and an extra serving to reheat for dinner.
Financial stress remained one of the most significant challenges. Many younger Guard members had never contacted lenders to request payment deferrals, and the idea felt overwhelming. To help, the office wrote a step-by-step phone script members could use when calling creditors and, when needed, sat beside them during the calls.
“It was not just about making the payments,” Elliott said. “It was about giving them the words they needed and helping them understand how to protect what little they had.”
At the request of senior leadership, the team also developed a shutdown impact survey for both Air and Army Guard members to ensure leaders understood the real-time challenges families were facing. When pay eventually arrived in a single lump sum, questions surfaced about taxes, deductions and child support. Coughenour, who also serves as the base personal financial counselor, began working with DFAS and national agencies to explain how missed deductions would affect upcoming paychecks.
“There are still a lot of uncertainties,” she said. “If deductions were not taken from the lump sum, they will be taken out of future checks. We are helping members plan for that.”
Despite the heavy workload, the team continued major annual programs that many families rely on. The Thanksgiving Food Basket program, which supplied 324 complete meals last year, continued through the shutdown, and the office provided grocery vouchers for members who live too far from Cheyenne to pick up a basket. The Angel Tree program, which provides holiday gifts for children, was relocated to the fire department classroom to allow families to pick up gifts discreetly. Community partners adopted dozens of children and donated thousands of dollars in support.
The shutdown also expanded the office’s reach, with Army Guard members and retirees requesting assistance alongside Airmen. Elliott said the door remained open to anyone in the Wyoming military community. “We do not turn anyone away,” she said.
In addition to widening their reach, the crisis revealed areas where additional support was needed. Coughenour said the surge in requests helped them identify shortfalls and build new partnerships that will strengthen how the office responds to future emergencies. Looking ahead to a possible shutdown in January, Coughenour has been asked to teach a furlough preparation class to help technicians and Title V employees better prepare financially and emotionally.
Both women said the gratitude from Airmen made the long days worthwhile. “Seeing how thankful people were, that is why we do it,” Elliott said.
For Coughenour, the motivation is simple. “Helping people is what fills my cup,” she said. “When someone is at their lowest and we can make a difference, that is the reward.”
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2025 13:31 |
| Story ID: | 552073 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wyoming Military Family Readiness supports Airmen Through Federal Shutdown, by SSgt Zachary Herold, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
