Families gain insight into deployment process

Published Aug. 21, 2006
By Staff Sgt. Nick Przybyciel
92nd ARW Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The troops were starting to get rowdy. About half way through an intelligence briefing preceding their special mission, mutiny was setting in amongst the ranks.

"No, no, no" one of the deploying troops screamed out from the back of the room, interrupting the lieutenant colonel's briefing.

Another one broke into song ...well, sort of. Her lyrics weren't composed of real words, but instead, the mumblings of a child's secret language. There's a good reason for this; the "troop" was, in fact, only 2 years old.

Jocelyn Reed, along with her sister Micah, 4, and brother Zackery, 5, were taking part in Fairchild's Family Mobility Day held Aug. 9. Together with their mom, Misty, the Reed family was just one of many that participated in a day designed to shed light on the deployment process for military families.

"Today we gave the spouses and children of our Airmen an idea about what we go through when we deploy and the kind of support available from Team Fairchild. We really drove home the point that this is all one family - the Airmen, the spouses and the children," said Maj. David Stenglein, 92nd Mission Support Squadron commander.

For the Reed family, the information gained from Family Mobility Day was of high value. Mrs. Reed's husband, Staff Sgt. Marc Reed, 92nd Maintenance Squadron, deployed to Southwest Asia two years ago. At the time, she faced the difficulties of taking care of her family with little help, because she was unaware of the assistance offered at Fairchild.

"I didn't really know about any of the services, but now I do," she said. "I'll definitely use them next time."

Family Mobility Day simulated a real-life deployment scenario. After arriving by bus at the deployment processing area, the families gathered in a briefing room and were given the details of the day's mission: today they were headed to New Orleans to help Hurricane Katrina victims.

The children were then brought through the mobility line. However, there were a few differences between the one they were going through and the real line. Instead of medics giving shots, chaplains offering moral support and records being updated, the kids were provided with toys and candy.

"My son's really going to enjoy what's going on here today," Sergeant Reed said about Zackery.

His observation was spot-on. After processing through the mobility line, Zackery and his sisters had a chance to try on real chemical gear. Showing a Wingman's instinct, Zackery helped out his little sister Micah by ensuring that the straps were tight on her gas mask after she struggled to get it on.

When asked if the gas mask was scary, Zackery responded with a young man's bravado, "Nope... 'cause I'm five."

In order to backup this statement and the weight his age carried, Zackery then ran over and tried to lift a mobility bag that was stuffed to the seams with gear. After a few strained efforts, Zackery managed to get the back off the ground, thoroughly impressing his fellow troops with his feat of strength.

"The children need to know what mom and dad go through. This gave them a little bit of an idea of what they do," said Tech. Sgt. Carlos Ramossanchez, Airman and Family Readiness Center coordinator.

Meanwhile the parents remained in the briefing room, where they received a series of briefings focusing on the family support services provided by Fairchild.

Airmen from the chaplain staff, life skills, legal office, services, finance, and the Airman and Family Readiness Center spoke with the families. "While you're gone we're going to do everything possible to take care of your families," said Capt. Mark Williams, a chaplain with the 92nd ARW.

Personnel with the 92nd MSS spent a lot of time working on the Family Mobility Day, in order to provide a creative supplement to the informational briefings they provide to mobilized Airmen and their families, Sergeant Ramossanchez said.

Sergeant Ramossanchez goes squadron to squadron on a biweekly basis, holding meetings focused on getting Fairchild families ready for deployments. During the last deployment cycle, he estimates that he briefed more than 500 people.

"I usually cover stuff that people don't think of until the last minute. It's usually little stuff -- like making sure I.D. cards don't expire -- that can cause a whole lot of stress in a marriage if its not taken care of," he said.

Sergeant Ramossanchez said his goal is to hold more Family Mobility Days in the future. "It will be nice to have more people come out and have fun and learn a little bit, too. If the kids have a good time, we did our job."

Judging by the Reed children's reaction to the day's activities, Sergeant Ramossanchez could definitely call the event a success.