Please join your fellow Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors this November in recognizing and celebrating our brave servicemen and women and their families for National Veterans and Military Family Appreciation Month. We would like to take the time to honor them and their commitment and contributions in support of our military and our nation.
This month, we are honored to introduce you to Christopher and Cindi Young, a couple whose service to their country and community is admirable and inspirational.
Chris is originally from Elmer, NJ, where he lived with his parents, older brother and younger sister. He went to Arthur P. Schalick High School in Pittsgrove, NJ, where he played football. After graduation, Chris earned two associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force, one in Aviation Maintenance Technology and one in Metals Technology.
Chris began working for the Defense Logistics Agency as an Industrial Specialist. “Our team would travel all around the US and evaluate wartime capabilities of various factories,” he said. “Our reports of the industry capabilities we evaluated would then be sent to Congress for review.”
“I enlisted in the Air Force in August 1980 on the delayed Enlistment program. I left for Basic Training on January 20, 1981, the day President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as our 40th President of the United States of America and the Iran Hostage Crisis ended,” Chris explained. After graduating from Basic Training, he was sent to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX, to attend school to become an Aircraft Crew Chief. Upon graduation, Chris was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown, NJ, where he worked as Crew Chief in the 438th Organizational Maintenance Squadron on C-141A and C-141B Aircraft from 1981-1985.
In 1985, Chris became an Air Force Reserve Technician in the 514th Field Maintenance Squadron as an Aero Repair Technician. The Aero Repair shop did all the heavy maintenance on the Aircraft, from changing the landing gear to operating the flight controls. “I was assigned to the 514th Aircraft Generation Squadron as a Flightline Expeditor responsible for all the maintenance of 13 C-141B Aircraft, then promoted to a Production Superintendent responsible for the Maintenance of 26 C-141B Aircraft,” Chris said. “Then I was promoted to the Red Aircraft Maintenance Unit responsible for 120 Maintainers responsible for the maintenance of 26 C-141B Aircraft before being promoted again to Fabrication Flight Chief in the 514th Maintenance Squadron, overseeing the sheet metal shop, non-destructive testing shop, plastic shop, machine shop, and survival equipment shop.”
Chris quickly rose through the ranks and was selected as the 514th Maintenance Squadron Superintendent, overseeing the Fabrication Flight, Aero Space System Flight, Isochronal Maintenance Flight, Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight, and the Avionics Maintenance Flight. He only spent two months in this position before being named the 514th Maintenance Group Superintendent. “My favorite position in my career was the 514th Maintenance Group Superintendent,” he remarked. “I was the Chief Enlisted Manager of four subordinate maintenance squadrons, executing an over eighty-million-dollar budget in support of six hundred fifty-plus Traditional Reserve and Air Reserve Technicians.”
Chris’ Air Force career sent him around the United States, St. Croix, Germany, Spain and Puerto Rico. After 9/11, he deployed to Qatar as a Production Superintendent for nine KC-10 Aircraft which flew several missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Chris’ wife, Cindi, is one of eight siblings who grew up with her brothers, sisters and parents in Bala Cynwyd. She attended St. Bernadette’s in Drexel Hill, then St. Matthias in Bala Cynwyd before graduating from Merion Mercy Academy, where she was active in student government, the theater department and the tennis team.
Cindi’s exemplary grades and determination earned her appointment to the United States Military Academy, which she attended for two years, from 1981 to 1983. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at West Point, but all cadets graduate with a degree in Engineering,” she explained. “My plan was to be an Army doctor and minor in organic chemistry – that was a double fail”! Cindi said that as much as she thought medicine was her calling, she hated chemistry and disliked engineering even more. “I have limited spatial skills, and the one engineering basics class I took was a disaster,” she explained. So, it was onto a new path for Cindi in California. She worked by day and attended Golden Gate University at night, graduating summa cum laude with a BS in Accounting in 1985.
“I passed the CPA exam in 1986 in California and returned home to work at Price Waterhouse in Philadelphia,” Cindi said. “After six years, I joined The Rubin Organization (now PREIT) working on commercial real estate projects such as the Mellon Bank Center and the Bellevue.” Cindi said while working there, she caught the real estate bug and began a career in commercial real estate with COMPASS Management & Leasing, then WP Realty.
So, how does a girl from Bala Cynwyd meet an Army guy from New Jersey? On the dance floor, of course! “One of my passions is dancing,” Cindi said. “It was the early 1990s, and having never listened to country music, a friend of mine convinced me to go to the American Cowboy Company (ACC) in Cherry Hill, NJ.” There was line dancing and Country Western couples dancing, and Cindi was hooked. She soon became a regular, dancing four to five times a week, and began performing on their dance team. “What I didn’t know then was that a fellow dance team member, Dan, worked with Chris on the flight line,” Cindi explained. Dan was helping Chris learn how to dance and told him there was this girl he was convinced was a great match. “So Chris went to the ACC that night expecting to meet Dan and be introduced, but Dan was a no-show.”
Cindi said that she and Chris met about halfway through the night and started chatting. She laughed when she admitted, “I actually “fake” carded him since I didn’t think he even looked 21, let alone 32!”. Chris and Cindi hit it off, and when Chris went to work the next day, he told Dan that he had met someone, and Dan said, “That’s the girl I wanted you to meet!”Cindi said that was almost 30 years ago, and the rest is history.
They married and settled down in Ardmore. Chris had three children from a previous marriage, Tiffany, Brittany and Shelby, and he and Cindi welcomed two children of their own, Logan and Sarah. After a few years, they relocated to Rosemont, then took on a home renovation in Gladwyne and moved Cindi’s mother in with them. “Eventually, my mother started having trouble with the steps in our home, so we decided to look for something more suitable and found the perfect spot in Newtown Square,” Cindi said. “It’s a cute story. I took our youngest daughter, Sarah through the open house, and a Harry Potter movie was playing on the TV downstairs, so she then referred to it as “The Harry Potter House”.
These days, Chris and Cindi are as busy as ever. Chris retired from the Air Force after a decorated 30-year career and is currently the Deputy Fire Chief of the Newtown Square Fire Company. “I love serving the community and helping people when they are possibly experiencing the worst day of their lives,” Chris remarked. The Fire Company is like a second family to me, very similar to how my Air Force family was, which has helped me transition into civilian life.”
Cindi retired from full-time work to care for her mother in 2013 and has since gone back to working part-time and volunteering in the community. Aside from dancing, reading is another of Cindi’s passions. “I have been a volunteer at the Newtown Public Library for the past ten years,” she said. “At first, I helped at the front desk, then I took over the stocking and merchandising of the lobby book carts.” Now Cindi is the Co-Chair of the library’s semi-annual book sale that is held each spring and fall.
“I currently work at the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County helping to prevent domestic violence and empower victims/survivors to move towards self-sufficiency,” she explained. “We offer a 24-hour hotline, safe house emergency shelter, counseling, advocacy and legal services.” Cindi is especially proud that her daughter Sarah has recently joined the staff as a full-time Safe House Advocate. For information visit: www.DAPDC.org.
Cindi also volunteers her time for Meals on Wheels, makes monthly casseroles and collects gently used men’s clothing for St. John’s Hospice through St. Anastasia parish. And when Chris isn’t at the fire station, he is a Krav Maga instructor and will be testing for his Black Belt this month in San Diego. He is also an avid hunter and enjoys taking his grandchildren with him. “I have fond memories of hunting with my grandfather and dad,” he said. “I hope my seven grandchildren will always have special memories of spending time with me.”
Perhaps the most meaningful moment for Chis during this interview was the photo shoot at the Delaware County Veterans Memorial, where he is honored to be a Board Member.
“For me personally, the Delaware County Veterans Memorial is sacred ground. I served a total of 30 years in the United States Air Force. I lost friends during this time serving our Great Nation. The Memorial is a place for me to be at peace and reflect on those I knew, loved, and lost. I have sat in the rain, and the hot sun at the Memorial, laughing to myself, crying, and praying, remembering these friends. It is hard to explain to my family and
non-military friends why I feel the way I do on some days, but being around other Veterans, they just know, and you know they know without having to talk about it.”
On behalf of your Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors, we thank you for your steadfast commitment to serving and protecting our nation. A strong military relies on your dedication and the support of strong families who share your mission. Thank you to all who serve and all who love the ones who serve.
Do you know a Newtown Edgmont family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.