by Airman 1st Class Aaron J. Jenne
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
10/21/2014 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- One by one, 28 of Team Seymour's youngest members lined up with their recently issued deployment gear.
Gripping their belongings tightly, they slowly boarded a bus en route to
their next destination: an aircraft on the flightline of Seymour
Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.
Their mission; deploy in support of the Airman and Family Readiness Center's Operation Bug Out.
In order to help them understand what their parents do to prepare for
real-world deployments, children between the ages of five and 15
participated in a mock deployment Oct. 15.
The event mirrored the events of an actual deployment including
briefings, processing through a personnel deployment function line and
transporting their equipment to an awaiting military aircraft.
"It's difficult when a military parent deploys," said Master Sgt. Edward
McBride, Airman and Family Readiness Center NCO in charge of readiness.
"It brings a lot of adjustment, but I think Operation Bug Out brings
perspective and reality to children, allowing them to get an idea of
what parents go through and why it's important that they deploy. It's a
great opportunity for us as military members to showcase what we have on
base and bring a smile to a child's face."
The event began at the Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational
Repair Squadron Engineer facility where they received their deployment
orders and initial briefings from Col. Mark Slocum, 4th Fighter Wing
commander.
After receiving their orders, each child was given a simulated oath of
enlistment before being ushered through the processing line. While going
through the line, the children and their parent were able to speak with
several base representatives, to include members of the base finance
office, public health and the chapel. Afterward, each child boarded
busses for their next destination: the KC-135R Stratotanker that would
simulate taking them to their deployed destination.
The children wrapped up their deployment by visiting the simulated
deployed location in a hangar near the aircraft. In the hangar, Airmen
from agencies across base, including security forces and the fire
department, provided demonstrations for each child. The children also
chowed down on Meals Ready to Eat to fill them up during their busy
deployment.
"I'm a father and a big kid at heart, so to see the EOD robots and the
fire department with Sparky the firedog and the smiles they always
bring, it really made me happy, because that's what it's all about,"
McBride said. "It's all about taking care of our families."
Staff Sgt. Ivan Alandzak, with the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron, said it
wasn't just the kids who were fortunate to experience the event; the
parents benefited as well.
"I think they'll have a better understanding of what goes on when
daddy's gone," he said. "It's a little thing they get to experience that
helps them understand at a young age what we do and why we do it."
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
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