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Kids get a taste of deployment during Operation JET

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Carlos J. Treviño
  • 433 Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The 802nd Military and Family Readiness Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland held its annual Operation Junior Expeditionary Team (Operation JET) event here on July 31, to give children of service members the chance to experience a mock deployment.

 More than 200 children from throughout the JBSA community participated in a mock deployment, that included processing stations, touring a C-5A Galaxy aircraft, learning Self-Aid and Buddy Care, and many other events geared for them to experience the deployment process first hand.

 At registration, children received uniforms, an olive drab Operation JET t-shirt, deployment orders on Air Force letterhead and dog tags.They were assigned to a squadron, with names as Bulldogs, Tigers, and Vipers.

 The first thing they experienced was the military adage of "Hurry up and wait," where they were given a briefing by one of the event coordinators,Tech. Sgt. Oscar Gonzalez, a readiness noncommissioned officer from the 802nd Military and Family Readiness Center.

 "This program is important for the kids to build resiliency," Gonzalez said. "This can show the children what mom and dad would experience. It gives them a little understanding of what their parents would go through when they deploy."

 "I really like this opportunity for the kids to see what their parents are doing," said Ivelisse Morales, a mother of two children participating in the event.

 Her husband, Juan, has been deployed, so she has brought their children to this program once before, because they enjoy the event. "This program gives them a glance of they [parents] are going to experience. The volunteers make it very enjoyable for the kids, everything is very coordinated, and I really appreciate that," she said as she watched her two children eat their Operation JET issued sack lunch.

 At the end of the deployment exercises, participants were welcomed back and dismissed with high fives and handshakes by Brig. Gen. Robert LaBrutta, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, commander and ‎502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio Command Chief Master Sergeant Stanley C. Cadell.
  
 "It gives them a perspective of what their parents go through, and helps them support their families as they go through a deployment, said Cadell. "It gives them a better idea of what their stresses are that their families go through. Hopefully it gives them an idea of what goes on with mom and dad when they are deployed."

 "This is one of the best programs that we have," LaBrutta said.

 "Making sure that the children understand what their moms and dads are doing for the nation, there is nothing better. When we bring together of how to deploy and what to expect, not only does it inform the children, it takes some of the anxiety on those deployments when they occur," he said.

 LaBrutta went on to say, "Another thing that is great is these children need to understand how important they are to United States Air Force, because their love and support and everything they do for their moms and dads allows them to serve our nation"

 "This is a monumental step in the right direction for our children that are here at Joint Base San Antonio," he said.