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300 attend deployment training near D.C.

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Peter R. Miller
  • 440th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. --  Set against Washington's historic backdrop, the Air Force Reserve Yellow Ribbon Program hosted training Aug. 23-25 for 95 Airmen and their guests, families and children.

The location did not go unnoticed by pre- and post-deployment Airmen of all ranks who attended the event.

"Our (training) location overlooks the Washington Monument, the Air Force Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery," said Chaplain (Maj.) David Dersch, a Yellow Ribbon Program representative with the 908th Airlift Wing, Maxwell AFB, Ala. "It makes me thankful and grateful for those who paid the ultimate price and made the ultimate sacrifice for us."

Participants completed 1 ½ days of pre- and post-deployment information sessions. The 55 community partners present provided support and advice on topics including education, health care, retirement benefits, disability and fitness. The event was rounded out with a procession of Patriot Guard motorcyclists, a presentation on "Putting it in Perspective" by Julian Nierva and the constant enthusiasm of Oki, Reno, Skylee and Gus, four therapy dogs visiting from the Butler-Mercer County Chapter of the American Red Cross in Western Pennsylvania.

"A lot of people should be here who aren't," said Tech. Sgt. Joshua Doherty, a 33-year Navy and Air Force Reserve veteran. "There's a lot of good information here."

"It's all beneficial in some way," said Travis Newton, husband of Tech. Sgt. Lindsay Newton, an administrative technician with the 507th Maintenance Squadron at Tinker AFB, Okla., who recently returned from deployment. "What I like about this event is that they make the information available to you instead of having to go out and find it."

Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Cunningham, a Yellow Ribbon representative from Pittsburgh, first participated in the program as a first sergeant when he saw it simply as "another way to help Airmen."

"Many just don't know about the benefits they have earned and what is available to them," he said.

In addition to immediate availability to many resources, the training featured experienced deployers sharing advice with those soon embarking on such missions for the first time.

Master Sgt. Jerome Holloway II, a vehicle operator with the 94th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Dobbins ARB, Ga., said his favorite aspect of his recent deployment to Afghanistan was giving rides to others around base.

"I would say, 'Get in, I'm not going to bite you' and that would make a lot of (them) laugh," said Holloway. "The way I look at it is we're all on the same team if we're on this base. Army, Navy, Marines, and civilian contractors, no matter what your pay grade is, we are all here to work."

Doherty, a member of the 42nd Aerial Port Squadron at Westover ARB, Mass., said the most memorable event from his recent deployment was witnessing an MD-11 commercial aircraft tipped on its tail due to a loading oversight. While it was a potentially life-threatening incident, nobody was hurt, he said.

Capt. Lee Taylor, a flight nurse with the 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C., said he has mixed feelings about an upcoming deployment, his first, because of the time it takes him away from his family.

"I'm looking forward to serving my country and serving the medical needs of the guys who need help," said Taylor, an East Carolina University graduate. But his young son, Peyton, remains at the forefront of his mind.

"There will be a lot of changes (in him) while I'm gone," he said.

Taylor's wife, Kelley, said she is anxious about her husband's "safety, and his raising our son over a video screen" and anticipates the trials that come with "juggling profession, raising a son, and being a strong wife and mother."

Staff Sgt. Quirsy Saladin experienced these fears firsthand when she was in the Army.

"After my first deployment, my youngest daughter didn't recognize me," said Saladin, now a radio frequency transmission system technician with the 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at MacDill AFB, Fla.

During the sergeant's upcoming deployment, her mother will look after her three children, who are now "grown and able to take care of themselves," Saladin said.

"Everyone's deployment experience is unique in its own way," said Senior Airman Eugene Chuang, a Dover AFB, Del., air transportation technician. He predicts that the most memorable aspect of his upcoming deployment to Kyrgyzstan will be the friends he makes.

Senior Airman Michael Sharrow, an aircraft mechanic with the 315th Maintenance Squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C., recently returned from a deployment to Ramstein AB, Germany, and said the most notable point was visiting Berlin on New Year's Eve.

"I was seeing the world for the first time," said Sharrow. "It is something I will never forget."