An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

440th Airlift Wing helps "Move that Bus!"

  • Published
  • By MSgt. Steve Staedler
  • 440th Airlift Wing
Pope Field, N.C. --  The 440th Airlift Wing got a taste of Hollywood recently as ABC's reality television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was on Pope Field to film scenes for an upcoming episode.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" renovates homes for Families facing recent or ongoing hardships that are in need of new hope.

Show host Ty Pennington, the cast, and crew were in Fayetteville to renovate the Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House, a veteran women's shelter founded by 15-year Navy veteran, Barbara Marshall. The house offers shelter, support, and services such as mentoring and life coaching for homeless women veterans. Along with housing three women veterans and their children, the Jubilee House works with over 30 homeless women veterans seeking assistance each week.

The Jubilee House episode is expected to air September 25, 2011.

The 440th Airlift Wing provided support each day for this seven day project in more ways than one. Combat airlifters were on hand from the first day of the surprise "door knock" to day-two, when 109 women, both servicemembers and veterans, who on Pennington's command, literally began to pull the house from its frame. Each day afterwards members were there to help rebuild the home from the ground up.

On day five the television set was on the Pope Field flightline. Because this special, two-hour episode will focus on women veterans and servicemembers, part of the show's script called for Pennington to interact with female Airmen on the Pope Field flightline.

The scenes included Pennington learning about the Jubilee House renovation while walking on the flightline; coordinating an airdrop of supplies with Maj. Deanna Franks, 440th Airlift Wing director of staff and C-130 pilot; and helping Senior Airmen Kasumi Bailey, Nicole Ramsey, and Michelle Seal along with Airman 1st Class Brittany Hauck load a pallet onto an aircraft.

Filming the three scenes took about 90 minutes and when edited the scene will depict a pallet of building supplies being loaded onto a C-130 to be air dropped at the Jubilee House.

Renovations of the Jubilee House caught the eye of The White House. As part of her ongoing Joining Forces initiative to aid and support military Families, First Lady Michelle Obama was on hand July 21 when Pennington and the crowd shouted "Move that Bus!," the catch phrase for the reveal of the renovated houses on the show.

A few combat airlifters were directly included in footage captured with Mrs. Obama as she toured parts of the house. Others, along with members from every branch of the U.S. military, were prominently placed in a military section of the set when the bus moved to reveal a brand new, 6,000 square foot Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House. The old house was 1,600 square feet.

After the reveal of the house, Mrs. Obama, visited the servicemembers, hugging and thanking as many as she could for their service.

The Jubilee House episode is expected to air September 25, 2011.