SAN ANTONIO -- Handwritten notes of gratitude spruce up the bare trees being claimed by service members during the 15th annual Trees for Troops giveaway at Lackland Air Force Base on the city's Southwest Side. The messages tied to the tree trunks express appreciation for recipients like the Fretto family.

  • Program supplies free trees for active and retired military
  • 400 families at Lackland Air Force Base sponsored
  • Thousands of trees distributed across the nation 

"It's extremely nice for [Trees for Troops] to do this for us," said Barbara Fretto.

This is the second year Barbara and her husband, Nicholas, are taking a tree home to decorate ahead of the holiday.

"We are very blessed to be together this year," Barbara Fretto said.

This will be the third year the Air Force cadets will be spending Christmas together. Yet, like many military families, the couple knows what it's like to spend the holiday apart. In 2015, Nicholas Fretto was deployed to Korea.

"You got to make it work. It's definitely worth it, but it's tough," said Nicholas Fretto.

Trees for Troops is a nationwide giveaway by the Christmas Spirit Foundation in partnership with FedEx. The event, which supplied free trees for active and retired military members, aims to make the holiday a little easier on troops and their families.

"We are just proud to be able to show our service members and their families how much we appreciate their service," said Marvin Hill, a FedEx employee and veteran.

Hill served 35 years in the U.S. Army before retiring as a command sergeant major. He was stationed in Afghanistan when he was a tree recipient.

"It allows the service members to focus on the fight that's in front of them versus feeling sorry for themselves and their families back in the states," he said.

This year, Trees for Troops sponsored 400 trees for military families at Lackland Air Force Base. Nationwide, the program will hand out thousands more across other military bases.

"We are just very grateful," said Barbara Fretto.

To learn more about the program, visit the Trees for Troops  website.