Fort Worth – For more than a decade, the nonprofit Holidays & Heroes has turned the holiday season into a heartfelt celebration for junior enlisted families stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. The annual Christmas party, now a staple with over 700 attendees, provides gifts, meals and a welcoming atmosphere that lets service members focus on family time rather than logistical worries.
Family‑focused festivities
Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Godsey, a 28‑year‑old Navy sailor, attended his first Holidays & Heroes Christmas party in 2023 with his wife and six children. “It was honestly beyond my expectations for what I expected to see,” he said. The event features a blend of traditional holiday cheer – cookies, pizza and desserts – and unique touches for the base community, such as F‑35 flight simulators, Star Wars characters and a Santa who parachutes in from a restored World War II Beech 18 aircraft.
Godsey, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, explained that the party helps bridge the gap created by frequent moves. “You can really focus on enjoying the time with your family,” he said. “It also gives you another sense of community, almost like a second family.”
Support from local partners
The event is bolstered by a partnership with the Tarrant Area Food Bank, which helps assemble and prepare Thanksgiving meals for military families. Julie Butner, CEO of the food bank, praised the collaboration: “They certainly are working very hard on behalf of our country and on behalf of all of us as citizens, and so paying it forward to them is particularly important.”
Stories of gratitude
Ashley Chatman, wife of Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Chatman III, recalled how the organization lifted her family during a period of financial strain. “I’m in tears every year,” she said. “We wouldn’t have Christmas without them, and my kids deserve that.” The Chatmans, like many junior sailors, were initially hesitant to ask for help, but found the Holiday & Heroes environment welcoming and non‑judgmental. “I wish someone would have told me to swallow my pride and open my heart, because they don’t shame you for struggling,” she added.
Children at the party enjoy meeting beloved characters, and parents appreciate the inclusive atmosphere. “My favorite part is watching my kids,” Chatman said. “Not everybody always accepts them, the way they explore and enjoy things. But with Holidays & Heroes, they just embrace them and let them be who they are.”
Origins of a community tradition
The celebration began around 2010‑2011 when stay‑at‑home mother Kerre Ortegel responded to a radio chaplain’s request for stuffed stockings for troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan. She rallied friends and neighbors to send about 300 stockings, then expanded the effort to the nearby naval air base. In the first year, Ortegel and her husband hosted two modest gatherings for 20 and 19 families, providing a simple table, a spot for Santa, pizza and leftover desserts.
“That first year’s experience is what let me know that there really is a need for this,” Ortegel said. “Seeing that relief on their faces, and then just hearing the gratitude that they had… You could just tell that you were really making a difference.” The event has grown each year, reaching its 12th Christmas celebration at the base in 2026.
Looking ahead
Ortegel describes the work as her “passion and purpose.” She looks forward to continuing the tradition, noting that the smiles she helps create would not exist without the collective effort of volunteers, local businesses and partner organizations.
For military families in Fort Worth, the Holidays & Heroes Christmas party stands as a reminder that community support can turn the challenges of service into moments of joy and belonging.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
