HILL AIR FORCE BASE — For a group of people whose ultimate purpose is to fight and win wars, Hill Air Force Base has its fair share of warm-hearted Christmas softies.

In the days leading up to the 2020 Yuletide, several outfits at Hill were either recipients or donors of some exceptional Christmas cheer.

Last week, following a years-standing tradition, airmen from Hill’s 419th and 388th fighter wings and the 649th Munitions Squadron delivered sacks of gifts to children of Utah foster care families in Weber and Davis counties.

Senior Master Sgt. Drue Titensor, a reservist with the 419th, has been involved with the event for more than a decade. He said the 2020 gift delivery was different than previous years, considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Hill volunteers had to coordinate the effort with health and safety in mind and as a result, instituted a new drive-thru and appointment based delivery and pickup routine. In years past, airmen made deliveries directly to the homes of foster families.

The pandemic also caused a drop off in foster donations this year.

“If it weren’t for the generosity of these airmen, many kids would have gone without,” Titensor said.

A few days after the gift delivery, Operation Warm Heart, a non-profit organized by first sergeants at Hill, paid off nearly $2,000 of layaway balances at the Base Exchange, which is essentially a retail store on military installations. The group also gave away more than $1,000 in gas gift cards at the base gas station.

Master Sgt. Jacob Arbogast, Team Hill Operation Warm Heart president and 729th Air Control Squadron first sergeant, said the purpose of the organization is to provide financial help to airmen and their families that find themselves in difficult situations.

In a news release, 75th Air Base Wing spokesperson Rich Essary said the organization helps airmen with hardships in a multitude of ways, like paying for car repairs, buying necessary plane tickets or supplying families with groceries.

Hill personnel were also the beneficiary a rather large, random act of kindness. Hill spokesman Donovan Potter said airmen all over the base received a collection of more than 21,000 holiday greeting cards courtesy of the Holiday Cards for Our Military Challenge operation.

Col. Jason Johnson said cards are typically sent to military members stationed overseas during the holidays, but this year COVID-19 precipitated a change. With many military members confined to their home bases due to the pandemic, cards were sent to stateside military members, civilians and their families as well.

Hill’s 75th Air Base Wing Commander, Col. Jenise Carroll, said the fact that many at Hill wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas with their families this year made the greeting card drive all the more meaningful.

“It’s wonderful to receive such an outpouring for our military and civilian heroes here in Utah, letting Team Hill members know that they’re not alone during this unprecedented winter holiday season,” Carroll said in a statement. “These messages of gratitude and inspiration from across the country will help lift the spirits of our airmen and show them that they are supported.”