Joe O’Brien works at Vance Air Force Base with Maj. Pedro Trinidad, but never sees him there.

In fact, said O’Brien, a simulator instructor for Lear Siegler Services, the only place he ever sees Trinidad is at Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.

“I know Pedro doesn’t do a lot at his house,” said O’Brien.

Trinidad, a T-1 instructor pilot and assistant director of operations for the 32nd Flying Training Squadron, spends much of his time doing things for others. He is the squadron’s project officer for Christmas In April, and for the past two years has a been a house captain.

But it wasn’t in April, but last fall, when O’Brien spotted Trinidad at Lowe’s stocking up for his latest project. A fellow Air Force officer and his family needed some home repairs.

1st Lt. Scott Reinecke, also a T-1 instructor with the 32nd, moved his parents to Enid after their home in Bay St. Louis, Miss., was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Through the American Red Cross, an area resident offered Reinecke’s mother and stepfather, Robert and Rosalie Bennett, a house in the country near Longdale, at no cost. They gladly accepted, but the house, damaged by a previous resident and left unattended after the donor suffered a stroke, needed a lot of work.

So in stepped Pedro Trinidad. He organized a team of volunteers, including O’Brien, and went to work.

The roof was leaking and one of the bathrooms was a mess, with the floor literally rotting away. So Trinidad and his crew of some 20 people drove out to the house on a sunny November Saturday and got their hands dirty.

“It was in very bad condition,” said Trinidad of the home.

While one crew worked on the leaky rear half of the roof, Trinidad and O’Brien tackled the bathroom. They re-did the plumbing, rearranging the fixtures so there would be more room in the bathroom. They installed a new tub and toilet and removed a window. They redid the walls and ceiling, replaced the floor and installed new light fixtures.

“We have a lot of hidden talents out there,” Trinidad said of the volunteers. “I was surprised. There were quite a few folks out there lending a hand, getting it done.”

Trinidad worked to secure some funding for the project, but “this was a little towards the end of the year and most folks were pretty much done donating for causes,” he said. As a result, Trinidad bought some items for the project out of his own pocket, to the tune of some $1,300.

“I can’t say enough about Major Trinidad,” said Reinecke. “He invested a lot of personal time and personal expense.”

Much of the work was done on that first day, but the project was far from completed. In ensuing days Trinidad, who lives north of Enid, would work his normal 10- to 12-hour day at Vance, change clothes at the squadron, drive out to the house near Longdale and work on the house until late at night.

“He was using his own tools, packing everything up himself, cleaned up his own mess and made sure everything was presentable, then drove all the way home and spent minimal time with his family,” said Reinecke. “He would do this four to five days a week.”

Thanks to the efforts of Trinidad and his crew, the renovations are nearly complete and the Bennetts have made rural Longdale their home. The front half of the roof still needs to be re-done,

Not only is Trinidad an instructor pilot, but also is a Functional Check Flight pilot, taking aircraft for test flights after they have undergone maintenance. He also is a husband and father of three. So how does he find the time for all his volunteer work?

“A very understanding wife,” Trinidad said. “She’s been very patient and understanding in terms of letting me go do these things.”

Volunteerism, Trinidad said, seemed a natural offshoot from his job as an instructor pilot.

“I just enjoy helping,” he said. “It’s kind of what this job’s all about. It’s part of being a teacher, of going out and helping people improve and get better.”

O’Brien said Trinidad has a knack for finding people who need his help.

“He’s one of the few guys I’ve met who doesn’t wait for someone to come along and ask for his help,” said O’Brien. “In normal day-to-day living he has the ability to look around and see people that might need help and say ‘What do I need to do to help you out?’ He’s a class act.”

Trinidad, a native of New York City, has lived in the Enid area since 1993. His time here has included active duty and reserve stints at Vance, as well as careers as a simulator instructor and a pilot for U.S. Airways. He returned to active duty about three years ago. The family will be moving soon, however, as Trinidad recently received an assignment to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. He is supposed to report to Langley in April, which might keep him from taking part in Enid’s Christmas in April again.

“Obviously I’ll be working to put my own house on the market but, time permitting, obviously I’d like to help out again with Christmas in April,” he said.