Air Force family's 'Extreme Makeover' to air Nov. 8

  • Published
  • By Monica D. Morales
  • Air Force Material Command Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  During this Year of the Air Force Family, one ultimate act of Airmen helping their own will get national attention Nov. 8 when ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" features an Air Force civilian and his new custom built house.

"We are having lots of fun in the new house and life has been so much better," said James Terpenning, an Aeronautical Systems Center information technology specialist. "We had a great life before, but this new home makes that wonderful life so much easier."

The episode airs following the culmination of Air Force Family Week, a part of this year's celebration of Year of the Air Force Family.

The Air Force chief of staff and secretary named July 2009 to July 2010 the Year of the Air Force Family. During this designated year, Air Force officials are highlighting programs already in place to support Airmen and their families, while also informing them of the development of new programs that will be unveiled throughout the year.

Mr. Terpenning, who uses a wheelchair or walks with braces and a cane because he had polio as a child, was nominated for the series by his ASC
co-workers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

He, his wife, four young children and brother, who is also confined to a wheelchair, have been living in their new home since its unveiling Aug. 6.

"It feels strange knowing that millions of viewers will be learning about my family and watching the house get torn down and rebuilt," he said. "I'm a little nervous, but at the same time it will be exciting too."

Five days prior to the new home's debut, a team of 25 Air Force military members and civilians volunteered a Saturday morning to begin demolishing the home. The team removed handicap accessible fixtures inside the house and a 20-foot long wooden wheelchair ramp at the home's entrance. All the items removed were recycled and donated to deserving disabled veterans.

Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, the commander of Air Force Materiel Command, and Lt. Gen. Jack L. Hudson, a former ASC commander, led the team to the Terpenning home to begin work.

The Airmen's volunteer efforts illustrate the dedication and wingman attitude of the Air Force family, said Col. Brad Spacy, the 88th Air Base Wing commander.

"The great support by Team Wright-Patterson is another example of how our people are always at the ready to roll up their sleeves and help a member of the Air Force family," Colonel Spacy said.

The colonel, who grabbed a shovel and pitched in during the early phase of the house construction, said it's fitting that the home makeover opportunity arose during the Air Force Year of the Family.

"Like any close-knit family, we look out for our people and are always ready to be good wingmen," he said.

Volunteers returned throughout the week to help with laying drainage pipes and assisting with landscaping as framing for the house went up, the roof went on and interior work began. All the while, "Extreme Makeover" design team and local construction companies worked on different parts of the house.

"I am so grateful for those who nominated me, my Air Force family, ABC, the show, area businesses and communities and my neighbors for everything they have done to make my family's lives so much better," Mr. Terpenning said. "They took time out of their busy schedules to take care of us and we really appreciate it. Without them, this would not have been possible."

This is not the first time the Air Force has come to the aid of Mr. Terpenning. As a young orphan, he was airlifted from Vietnam in 1975 as part of the Air Force's Operation Babylift. He would be among an estimated 2,500 children flown to safety in the final days of the Vietnam War. He suffered from polio as a youth and was adopted by a New York family.

"The Air Force saved my life once and it stepped up to help my family again," Mr. Terpenning said.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" airs on ABC Sundays at 7 p.m. Central time.