NHS graduate aims to make life “better every day” for Afghan guests at Liberty Village

Excerpts from an article originally published on www.militaryspot.com and featuring Northport High School graduate Bernadette Maldonado are shared below, with the permission of the article’s author, Master Sergeant Matt Hecht of the New Jersey National Guard. A member of Northport’s Class of 1987, Col. Maldonado credits her father as being her biggest mentor. “When he was alive, he was ever so inspiring to remind us kids we can accomplish anything we set our minds to,” she shared with the Journal.

More than 80 New Jersey Air National Guard Citizen-Airmen from the 108th Wing and 177th Fighter Wing have supported Operation Allies Welcome at Liberty Village on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst since August.

The Airmen work at various levels throughout the village, from village governor and mayor to logistical and security support to Afghan guests.

Col. Bernadette Maldonado, commander of the 108th Mission Support Group, is one of two governors at Liberty Village.

“Our mission here at Task Force Liberty is to provide Department of Defense support for our civilian authorities, specifically the Department of Homeland Security,” said Maldonado.

“We’re helping our Afghan guests by providing housing, medical care, and immigration processing. It’s an absolutely fulfilling mission. One time I was having a challenging day and I was coming into the office and this little girl wrapped her arms around me and hugged me and said, ‘Thank you,’ and I knew this is why I’m here.”

Maldonado said a system of village governors and mayors was chosen to create a more relatable leadership structure for the Afghan guests. The leadership has town hall meetings with tent elders weekly to discuss any issues.

“Our motto here is ‘better every day,’ and we do everything we can to make sure it is better every day for our guests,” said Maldonado. “We want to make sure that their transition to the United States and their life in America goes as smoothly as possible.”

Operation Allies Welcome is a joint mission. New Jersey Citizen-Airmen work with their active-duty counterparts and with the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, and numerous government agencies.

“The best experience has been the camaraderie we’ve developed with the Airmen and other service members from all across the country, interacting with the children, parents, and grandparents, teachers, and other volunteers. It’s just been a great experience,” said Staff Sgt. Darrell Willis, with the 108th Maintenance Group.

“Just simply knowing that we have a huge mission here that changes people’s perspective of this uniform, of this country and their outlook of what’s possible,” he said. ”It’s been a great opportunity, we might not see the impact now, but it will be felt in five, 10, 20 years down the line, when we say, ‘Wow, we were there, we had a part in that.’”

As Afghan guests have made their way through the immigration process, families have left the camp, but their impact is still felt by the Airmen.

One note left by an Afghan family said: “Life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry. The smiles fade. But the memories live on forever. We will never forget your kindness.”