The Campus for the Families of the Fallen
consists of three main areas: the Center for Families of the Fallen, the
Fisher House for Families of the Fallen and the Meditation Pavilion.
The facilities are designed to provide families with an area of privacy,
comfort and support while they are at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware,
to witness the dignified transfer of their loved one.
Center for Families of the Fallen
The Center for Families of the Fallen was dedicated by Former Chief of
Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz Jan. 6, 2010.
The 6,339 square foot renovated facility includes segregated areas
and rooms for families to use for privacy and separation, a cafe area
with snacks and beverages, a meditation room, baby changing stations in
both restrooms, a private nursing area in the women's restroom, a
children's activity room with a chalkboard wall, games and toys and a
separate area with TVs and gaming systems.
Schwartz and his wife, Suzie, attended a dignified transfer in June
2009 and recognized the need for a facility with enhanced support to
families. Families were originally hosted at the Spiritual Operations
Center on the residential side of Dover AFB, which was a chaplain's
administration building.
In July 2009, the 436th Airlift Wing made a previous Army and Air Force
Exchange Service facility, originally slated for demolition, available
for the project. A contract for construction was awarded Sept. 30, 2009
and construction began Nov. 6, 2009. Approximately 6 weeks later, the
center was outfitted with furnishings and fixtures.
A Memorial Garden was gifted to the Air Force for the center in May
2011 by the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs to provide an outdoor
sanctuary for families.
The Friends of the Fallen, a private, non-profit organization, support
the dignified transfer mission with volunteers who attend to the basic
needs of a family prior to witnessing the dignified transfer.
More than 9,000 family members and their accompanying military
support staff have passed through the Center for Families of the Fallen
since it opened in January 2010.
Fisher House for Families of the Fallen
The Fisher House for Families of the Fallen at Dover Air Force Base,
Delaware, is a unique facility among the Fisher House Foundation's other
locations. It is the only one of its kind, designed for families of the
fallen and managed exclusively by uniformed personnel. It is designed
to provide short-term, on-base lodging to families who travel to Dover
AFB to witness the dignified transfer of their loved one.
The 8,462 square foot house is equipped with nine suites that include
private, handicapped-accessible bathrooms and common areas that include
a multi-cooking station kitchen, and large communal dining and family
rooms.
Identified by the Fisher Foundation as a complement to the Center for
Families of the Fallen, the Fisher House for Families of the Fallen is
the 50th house within the Fisher family of homes. The House was gifted
to the Air Force and dedicated Nov. 10, 2010. It opened to the first
family Dec. 9, 2010. More than 3,500 family members have stayed at the
house since it opened.
USO Delaware provides an assortment of fresh and frozen meal choices,
drinks and snacks to make the family's stay on the Fisher House as
comfortable as possible.
Meditation Pavilion
Adjacent to the Fisher House for Families of the Fallen is a Meditation
Pavilion. The 1,714 square foot Meditation Pavilion provides a quiet
place for families to gather, pray and reflect during their stay at the
Fisher House. The pavilion is used as a gathering place for families,
and is the first and only one of its kind.
Built with private donations to the Fisher House Foundation, the Fisher
House for Families of the Fallen and Meditation Pavilion were gifted to
the Air Force and dedicated Nov. 10, 2010.
Next time, on the 31st, we will return to Georgia, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from Delaware, or any other state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone
who has
pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I
will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about
it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
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