}}
}}
The ”’Air Force Enlisted Village”’ (AFEV) is a military-affiliated [[Nonprofit organization|nonprofit]] [[age-restricted community|age-restricted]]{{refn|group=nb|name=younger|”Younger applicants in need, whose active duty sponsor has just died, may be admitted for up to one year.”}} [[gated community]] that focuses on retired [[United States Air Force]] and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]] [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] [[veteran]]s and their [[spouse]]s.<ref name=afevfaq>{{cite web |url=https://afev.us/il-faqs |title=FAQs: What You Want to Know |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250804134108/https://afev.us/il-faqs |archive-date=August 4, 2025 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> It resides in an unincorporated area formerly part of [[Eglin Air Force Base]] that is serviced by the [[Shalimar]], [[Florida]] post office. It encompasses the [[Bob_Hope#USO_Involvement|Bob Hope]] Village for independent living, Hawthorne House for assisted living, and Victory Village (under construction)<ref name=victoryvillage>{{cite web |url=https://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3839843/eglin-afb-air-force-enlisted-village-invest-in-victory–village |title=Eglin AFB, Air Force Enlisted Village invest in Victory Village |author=Michelle Gigante |publisher=United States Air Force |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816014853/https://www.eglin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3839843/eglin-afb-air-force-enlisted-village-invest-in-victory–village |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> for wounded veterans.
The ”’Air Force Enlisted Village”’ (AFEV) is a military-affiliated [[Nonprofit organization|nonprofit]] [[age-restricted community|age-restricted]]{{refn|group=nb|name=younger|”Younger applicants in need, whose active duty sponsor has just died, may be admitted for up to one year.”}} [[gated community]] that focuses on retired [[United States Air Force]] and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]] [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] [[veteran]]s and their [[spouse]]s<ref name=afevfaq>{{cite web |url=https://afev.us/il-faqs |title=FAQs: What You Want to Know |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250804134108/https://afev.us/il-faqs |archive-date=August 4, 2025 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> [] for <ref name=>{{cite web |url=https://./- |title= Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web//https://./- |archive-date= , |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> .
AFEV is a designated voting precinct where residents cast ballots on-site for local, state, and federal elections.<ref name=afevvote>{{cite web |url=https://www.voteokaloosa.gov/uploads/2025/08/Copy-of-2025-polling-place-list-rev-1.pdf |title=Polling Places [precinct 31] |publisher=Okaloosa County, Florida |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111165311/https://www.voteokaloosa.gov/uploads/2025/08/Copy-of-2025-polling-place-list-rev-1.pdf |archive-date=November 11, 2025 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
AFEV is a designated voting precinct where residents cast ballots on-site for local, state, and federal elections.<ref name=afevvote>{{cite web |url=https://www.voteokaloosa.gov/uploads/2025/08/Copy-of-2025-polling-place-list-rev-1.pdf |title=Polling Places [precinct 31] |publisher=Okaloosa County, Florida |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111165311/https://www.voteokaloosa.gov/uploads/2025/08/Copy-of-2025-polling-place-list-rev-1.pdf |archive-date=November 11, 2025 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== History ==
== History ==
1967 Preliminary research and concept for Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation<ref name=afevoh>{{cite web |url=https://afev.us/our-history |title=Our History |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719170331/https://afev.us/our-history |archive-date=July 19, 2025 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
1967 Preliminary research and concept for Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation<ref name=afevoh />
1968 Foundation incorporated in Washington, DC<ref name=afevoh />
1968 Foundation incorporated in Washington, DC<ref name=afevoh />
=== Bob Hope’s involvement ===
=== Bob Hope’s involvement ===
[[File:Bust of Bob Hope at the Air Force Enlisted Village.jpg|thumb|[[Bust_(sculpture)|Bust]] of Bob Hope with a quote attributed to President Ronald Reagan calling Bob Hope Village “a fitting tribute to a great humanitarian and the spouses who stood by Air Force enlisted members as they served their country.”]]
[[File:Bust of Bob Hope at the Air Force Enlisted Village.jpg|thumb|[[Bust_(sculpture)|Bust]] of Bob Hope with a quote attributed to President Ronald Reagan calling Bob Hope Village “a fitting tribute to a great humanitarian and the spouses who stood by Air Force enlisted members as they served their country.”]]
[[Cinema_of_the_United_States|Hollywood]] icon Bob Hope, the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces,”<ref name=firstandonly>{{cite web |url=http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2014/08/bob-hope-first-and-only-honorary-veteran-of-the-armed-forces/ |title=Bob Hope: First and only honorary veteran of the Armed Forces |author= Tracey Lyles |date=August 19, 2014 |publisher=United States Army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002204621/http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2014/08/bob-hope-first-and-only-honorary-veteran-of-the-armed-forces/ |archive-date=October 2, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Cinema_of_the_United_States|Hollywood]] icon Bob Hope, the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces,”<ref name=firstandonly>{{cite web |url=http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2014/08/bob-hope-first-and-only-honorary-veteran-of-the-armed-forces/ |title=Bob Hope: First and only honorary veteran of the Armed Forces |author= Tracey Lyles |date=August 19, 2014 |publisher=United States Army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002204621/http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2014/08/bob-hope-first-and-only-honorary-veteran-of-the-armed-forces/ |archive-date=October 2, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== Notable residents ===
=== Notable residents ===
[[File:Sign designates the CMSAF Richard D Kisling Memorial Wing at the Air Force Enlisted Village.jpg|thumb|Sign designates the [[CMSAF]] Richard D Kisling Memorial Wing]]
* 3rd [[Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force]] [[Richard D. Kisling]]
== Bob Hope Village ==
== Bob Hope Village ==
This series of apartment complexes provides a home for retired Air & Space Force enlisted members and spouses age 55 and older{{refn|group=nb|name=younger}} who can live without a dedicated caregiver. Eligibility includes retirement from active duty, the reserves, and the guard. Each village includes a free laundromat,<ref name=bhvamenities>{{cite web |url=https://www.afev.us/bob-hope-village |title=Featured Garden Apartment |date=November 13, 2025 |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250804125539/https://www.afev.us/bob-hope-village |archive-date=August 4, 2025 |access-date=November 13, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Club (organization)|club]]house with free wifi,<ref name=bhvamenities /> and island [[gazebo]].
This series of apartment complexes provides a home for retired Air & Space Force enlisted members and spouses age 55 and older{{refn|group=nb|name=younger}} who can live without a dedicated caregiver. Eligibility includes retirement from active duty, the reserves, and the guard. Each village includes a free laundromat,<ref name=bhvamenities>{{cite web |url=https://www.afev.us/bob-hope-village |title=Featured Garden Apartment |date=November 13, 2025 |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250804125539/https://www.afev.us/bob-hope-village |archive-date=August 4, 2025 |access-date=November 13, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Club (organization)|club]]house with free wifi,<ref name=bhvamenities /> and island [[gazebo]].
Villages 1-4 comprise a single story [[apartment]] complex that gives highest priority to surviving spouses regardless their income. Villages 5-7 are a group of modern<ref name=afevoh /> multi-story apartment complexes that focus on retired Air Force and Space Force enlisted members & spouses. Construction on Village 7 began in the fall of 2025.
Villages 1-4 comprise a single story [[apartment]] complex that gives highest priority to surviving spouses regardless their income. Villages 5-7 are a group of modern<ref name=afevoh /> multi-story apartment complexes that focus on retired Air Force and Space Force enlisted members & spouses. Construction on Village 7 began in the fall of 2025.
== Assisted living ==
== Assisted living ==
== Amenities ==
== Amenities ==
A core amenity is AFEV’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) fund that supports destitute surviving spouses.<ref name=afewhf>{{cite web |url=https://www.kirtland.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/389165/air-force-enlisted-village-helps-surviving-spouses |title=Air Force Enlisted Village helps surviving spouses |date=March 20, 2013 |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref> A staffed [[food bank]] augments widows on state/federal [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|food programs]] and the campus has 24/7 security.<ref name=campusamenities /> Another amenity comes from airmen who volunteer to help widows by moving furniture, flipping a mattress, and hanging decorations.<ref name=aptch>{{cite web |url=https://www.afsouth.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/668061/air-force-enlisted-village-not-just-a-place-to-live-a-place-to-call-home/ |title=Not just a place to live, a place to call home |date=September 12, 2014 |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=November 12, 2025}}</ref>
A core amenity is AFEV’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) fund that supports destitute surviving spouses.<ref name=afewhf>{{cite web |url=https://www.kirtland.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/389165/air-force-enlisted-village-helps-surviving-spouses |title=Air Force Enlisted Village helps surviving spouses |date=March 20, 2013 |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref> A staffed [[food bank]] augments widows on state/federal [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|food programs]] and the campus has 24/7 security.<ref name=campusamenities /> Another amenity comes from airmen who volunteer to help by moving furniture, flipping a mattress, and hanging decorations.<ref name=aptch>{{cite web |url=https://www.afsouth.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/668061/air-force-enlisted-village-not-just-a-place-to-live-a-place-to-call-home/ |title=Not just a place to live, a place to call home |date=September 12, 2014 |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=November 12, 2025}}</ref>
=== The Commons ===
=== The Commons ===
The Commons serves as a central hub for all AFEV residents, with [[Canopy (architecture)|canopied]] sidewalks that connect it to every apartment in Villages 1-4. A list of amenities includes:<ref name=campusamenities>{{cite web |url=https://www.afev.us/lifestyle-amenities |title=Campus Amenities |date=November 13, 2025 |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709141717/https://www.afev.us/lifestyle-amenities |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |access-date=November 13, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The Commons serves as a central hub for all AFEV residents, with [[Canopy (architecture)|canopied]] sidewalks that connect it to every apartment in Villages 1-4. A list of amenities includes:<ref name=campusamenities>{{cite web |url=https://www.afev.us/lifestyle-amenities |title=Campus Amenities |date=November 13, 2025 |publisher=Air Force Enlisted Village |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709141717/https://www.afev.us/lifestyle-amenities |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |access-date=November 13, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Ballroom in The Commons at the Air Force Enlisted Village.jpg|thumb|Ballroom in The Commons building at the Air Force Enlisted Village]]
[[File:Ballroom in The Commons at the Air Force Enlisted Village.jpg|thumb|Ballroom in The Commons building]]
* [[Restaurant]]
* [[Restaurant]]
* [[Hair salon|Hair]] & [[nail salon]], [[barber]]
* [[Hair salon|Hair]] & [[nail salon]], [[barber]]
* Heated [[swimming pool]] & [[Jacuzzi]]
* Heated [[swimming pool]] & [[Jacuzzi]]
* [[Pickleball]] courts
* [[Pickleball]] courts
* [[Physical exercise|Exercise rooms]] including [[Exercise equipment|workout machines]]
* [[Physical exercise|Exercise rooms]] including [[Exercise equipment|workout machines]]
* [[Ballroom]] featuring [[DJ]]s & musicians, [[karaoke]], movie nights, holiday parties
* [[Ballroom]] featuring [[DJ]]s & musicians, [[karaoke]], movie nights, holiday parties
The Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV) is a military-affiliated nonprofit age-restricted[nb 2] gated community that focuses on retired United States Air Force and Space Force enlisted veterans and their spouses[1] At its core, AFEV “offer[s] a home for and financial assistance to widows of retired enlisted Air Force members”[2] regardless their income.
AFEV resides in an unincorporated area formerly part of Eglin Air Force Base that is serviced by the Shalimar, Florida post office. It encompasses the Bob Hope Village for independent living, Hawthorn House for assisted living, and Victory Village (under construction)[3] for wounded veterans. It is a designated voting precinct where residents cast ballots on-site for local, state, and federal elections.[4]
1967 Preliminary research and concept for Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation[2]
1968 Foundation incorporated in Washington, DC[2]
1971 Foundation granted nonprofit 501(c)(3) status[2]
1973 Foundation recognized as an official Air Force charity[2]
1975 Teresa Village (Independent Living) opens in Fort Walton Beach, Florida[2]
Bob Hope’s involvement
[edit]
Hollywood icon Bob Hope, the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces,”[5]
1980 Foundation purchases USAF land for Bob Hope Village (Independent Living)[2]
January 18, 1984 Construction begins on the Bob Hope Village[6]
1985 Bob Hope Village opens[2]
Expansion of charter
[edit]
2004 Foundation name changed to Air Force Enlisted Village[2]
2005 Hawthorn House (Assisted Living) opens[2]
2011 Memory Care wing at Hawthorn House opens[2]
2013 Teresa Village sold[2]
2015 Bob Hope Village 5 opens, creating a consolidated community[2]
2020 Bob Hope Village 6 opens[2]
2025 Bob Hope Village 7 and the Victory Village begin construction
This series of apartment complexes provides a home for retired Air & Space Force enlisted members and spouses age 55 and older[nb 2] who can live without a dedicated caregiver. Eligibility includes retirement from active duty, the reserves, and the guard. Each village includes a free laundromat,[9] clubhouse with free wifi,[9] and island gazebo.
Villages[nb 3] 1-4 comprise a single story apartment complex that gives highest priority to surviving spouses regardless their income. Villages 5-7 are a group of modern[2] multi-story apartment complexes that focus on retired Air Force and Space Force enlisted members & spouses. Construction on Village 7 began in the fall of 2025.
AFEV expanded its corporate charter in 2004 to provide assisted living to Air Force retirees.[2]
Hawthorn House accepts Air Force veterans and surviving spouses who require assisted living or memory care.[10] Eligibility includes officers[11] and enlisted members who retired from active duty, the reserves, and the guard.
The Air Force announced in July 2024 that AFEV purchased land from Eglin Air Force Base to build a retirement community for wounded service members and their caregivers.[3]
A core amenity is AFEV’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) fund that supports destitute surviving spouses.[2][12] A staffed food bank augments widows on state/federal food programs and the campus has 24/7 security.[13] Another amenity comes from local airmen who volunteer to help residents by moving furniture, flipping a mattress, and hanging decorations.[14]
The Commons serves as a central hub for all AFEV residents, with canopied sidewalks that connect it to every apartment in Villages 1-4. A list of amenities includes:[13]
Shuttles take residents on a weekly basis to two military commissaries and various local stores. Excursions include watching the Blue Angels practice aerial maneuvers. AFEV also operates a taxi service for residents who need to visit businesses and doctors’ offices in the local region.
AFEV has arranged with a nearby military pharmacy to pick up residents’ prescription medicine. A mobile X-ray service is available for residents temporarily confined to their apartment.
Named for Dolores Hope, it currently offers scheduled religious services for Catholics and Protestants. All services are broadcast live on a free cable channel.[9]
- ^ Employees and residents use the formal name and nickname interchangeably, but “Bob Hope Village” is the name for Villages 1-6. The addition of Hawthorn House led the Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation to change its name in 2004 to the Air Force Enlisted Village. The core nonprofit 501(c)(3) fund established in 1971 remains the Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation.
- ^ a b “Younger applicants in need, whose active duty sponsor has just died, may be admitted for up to one year.”
- ^ Each village is technically a “wing” of the Bob Hope Village.
- ^ “FAQs: What You Want to Know”. Air Force Enlisted Village. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q “Our History”. Air Force Enlisted Village. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Michelle Gigante. “Eglin AFB, Air Force Enlisted Village invest in Victory Village”. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ “Polling Places [precinct 31]” (PDF). Okaloosa County, Florida. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 11, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Tracey Lyles (August 19, 2014). “Bob Hope: First and only honorary veteran of the Armed Forces”. United States Army. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014.
- ^ Air Force Enlisted Village (January 18, 1984). “Stone marker”.
- ^ Jarrod Grammel (August 14, 2012). “Enlisted village cares for AF widows, families”. Air Force Link. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ Jordan, Jodi L. (February 9, 2007). “Air Force Enlisted Village earns 4-star rating”. Air Force Link. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ a b c “Featured Garden Apartment”. Air Force Enlisted Village. November 13, 2025. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ “Hawthorn House”. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Staff Sgt. Natalie Fiorilli (April 8, 2025). “98-year-old pilot sees Skyraider legacy live on in AFSOC’s OA-1K Skyraider II”. Air Force Link. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ “Air Force Enlisted Village helps surviving spouses”. United States Air Force. March 20, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b “Campus Amenities”. Air Force Enlisted Village. November 13, 2025. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ “Not just a place to live, a place to call home”. United States Air Force. September 12, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
