First-timers share thoughts on wing OEF deployment

Published Jan. 28, 2009
By Daniel Neely
919th Special Operations Wing

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A queue of empty buses sat idling outside this base's massive logistics readiness center Jan. 26. Nearby, dozens of Duke Field reservists and Eglin Airmen relaxed and chatted before boarding an awaiting aircraft that would airlift them toward an Operation Enduring Freedom assignment.

Clearly most of the 919th Special Operations Wing aircrew, maintainers and operations support personnel were longtime deployment veterans, embarking on yet another opportunity to bring their proven expertise to the Global War on Terrorism. But a few, though well-trained and motivated to serve their country, looked markedly more apprehensive about what lay ahead half a world away.

Headed for their first such experience were Airmen like Tech. Sgt. Miguel Nanez and Senior Airman Tracey Horne-Jones. When asked for a single word to describe their emotions of the moment, both were lockstep. "Excited," they immediately responded.

Airman Horne-Jones, who performs aviation resource management duties for the 711th Special Operations Squadron, said she was eager to apply her training in a wartime environment.

"I'm a little nervous," she admitted, "but I'm really just glad to go over there and experience something new. I know I'll be doing things like inputting flying line hours and checking aircrew currency."

Her eagerness to get under way was amplified by a nearly two-day departure delay. She adapted to the unforeseen setback by reading "a whole lot of books," she said, grinning widely.

Sergeant Nanez, a 919th Maintenance Squadron communications and navigation systems craftsman, said the start of his first-ever deployment didn't come without "a lot of work," despite circumstances that would limit his OEF tour to little more than a month.

"Even though I'll only be gone a short time, there really are a lot of training requirements to get done before you can deploy," he said.

Sergeant Nanez said he was surprised to see so many people deploying from other bases.

"It's pretty exciting to be able to see so many different people going to perform the same overall mission," he said.

Sergeant Nanez and Airman Horne-Jones said some key people in their lives were far more apprehensive about their first-ever deployment experience.

"My mom is terrified," Sergeant Nanez said. "Not that she isn't happy for me, but she also knows it's a necessary and very important thing I'm about to do. Whatever happens I'm just excited to get started because it's all new to me."