MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala -- Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Edward Thomas, chief executive officer of the Air & Space Forces Aid Society, visited Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex Feb. 26, 2026, to meet with Air University leadership and speak to students at the First Sergeant Academy about financial readiness and support available to Airmen, Guardians and their families.
While visiting, Thomas explained how financial stability directly affects mission performance.
“Military life’s demanding,” Thomas said. “It can be demanding financially, emotionally, relationally, and we need to be there to support during those times. When an Airman is worried about their financial situation, it’s going to be hard to focus on the mission.”
The Air & Space Forces Aid Society was founded in 1942 during World War II to provide emergency financial assistance to Airmen and their families, and today their mission continues.
“We were created by Airmen for Airmen in 1942 during World War II,” Thomas said. “We are the Department of the Air Force’s official nonprofit to help the force and to fill in gaps that policy doesn’t always fill.”
The AFAS finds itself in a unique position as it operates alongside Department of the Air Force leadership but is privately funded.
“We sit in government offices, but we receive no Air Force or government funding,” he said. “We’re entirely privately funded through individual donations, gifts, and corporate sponsors.”
Thomas described his visit as part of a continuing effort to hear directly from installations across the force.
“You can’t sit in your office and understand what’s going on in the mission,” he said. “So, I try to get out and visit bases to ask, ‘How can we serve you better?’”
At Maxwell-Gunter, Thomas met with installation leaders, spouses and chaplains before addressing the First Sergeant Academy. He said first sergeants play a key role in identifying financial stress early.
“Every first sergeant needs us on speed dial,” Thomas said. “If you’re facing financial stress, come to us. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, just ask us. If you’re a supervisor, please know we exist and send your Airmen to us.”
Thomas discussed adjustments made to programs based on feedback from the field, including updates to permanent change of station support for families with children.
“So now when somebody PCSs and they have children 12 and under, all they have to do is upload their ID card and their orders, and we will automatically send them up to $1,000,” Thomas said. “It goes into their account, and they can use it in the way that makes the most sense for their family.”
Flexibility and trust are central to how the organization operates, said Thomas.
“We trust our force to use those funds in the smartest way possible to take care of their family,” he said. “We’re an extension of the force. Trusting the force and meeting them where they are is critical.”
Thomas shared examples of how rapid assistance reduced stress during critical moments, including helping a service member overseas facing significant medical expenses and assisting another member in returning home for the premature birth of a child.
“Our Airmen and our Guardians just need an organization that’s going to walk alongside them,” Thomas said. “Walk alongside our first sergeants and our leaders so they know somebody’s got their back.”
Some of Thomas’s priorities for the organization are increasing awareness, funding and impact to ensure service members know help is available when needed.
“We don’t exist for ourselves,” he said. “We exist for the force.”