Deployment faire aids family members

  • Published
  • By Lorin T. Smith
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Maj. Anthony Mims, 627th Logistic Readiness Squadron commander, holds his daughter up to the table as she fills out her power of attorney, naming SpongeBob SquarePants as her sole heir for her assets. Cecilia Mims, 2, has already conducted a safety check on a weapon, been fitted for her body armor and helmet and learned valuable tips to help her quickly don a chemical gas mask.

Cecilia, along with dozens of other children and their parents, participated in the 627th LRS Deployment Faire March 19 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

The several months of planning for the four-hour event provided the spouses of the unit's Airmen information and resources about what to expect while their husband or wife was deployed, and allowed children five and older to experience first-hand what mom and dad go through when the call to deploy has come. The Air Force deploys differently than the Army, as Airmen go as individuals or in small groups, while the Army typically deploys entire unit sets.

"We deploy by Social Security Number," said Major Mims, whose unit performs real-time logistical missions for joint base aircraft and organizes, trains and equips assigned Airmen to deploy anywhere in the world.

Even though Air Force deploys Airmen as individuals, up to half an Air Force unit may be deployed, said Master Sgt. William Baker, 627th LRS first sergeant. This can be disadvantageous to Air Force spouses, as any given number could be experiencing a different aspect of the deployment spectrum.

Some Air Force families could be in predeployment, an Airman could be currently deployed, or in a post-deployment phase -- all at the same time in the same unit. Making JBLM resources offered by both the Air Force and Army available to the LRS spouses is very important because of the unique situation of being at a joint base, Sergeant Baker said. It's all in the names of developing networks and relationship.

"It's easy to lose connections with the spouses, so we asked JBLM agencies to attend to give the spouses an opportunity to network, share experiences and get information on dealing with the anxiety and stress of deployments," said Sergeant Baker.

Once parents had the chance to talk with the agencies or participate in break-out sessions, they made their way to a relaxation room and receive a free 10-minute massage. They were able to relax and learn, unlike their children, who were now property of the United States Air Force.

The 40 or so children were divided into three chalks, introduced to their chalk commanders, LRS Airmen, and whisked away from their parents through the deployment processing line. Children got pictures with Chem Gear Man in full chemical-suit regalia to take home as mementos. Once the future Airmen had picked up their deployment bags (with Smarties as "immunization tablets"), chalk leaders marched them onto buses while calling cadence.

Parents waved to the kids as they embarked on their "deployment."

After a 10-minute bus ride through the streets of McChord Field, the kids arrived at "Tent City." There, they were treated to lunch and a military working dog demonstration by Tommy, a 69-pound German Shepherd that assists McChord Field's security forces. Smiles and calls for more filled the afternoon air as Tommy showcased his specialized training in obeying attack commands given by his handler.

The children reloaded onto the bus, chatting nonstop about how Tommy jumped this high and how cool it would be to have the job of a military working dog handler. They were met with a surprise upon redeploying back to home station -- moms and dads greeted the buses and their kids with American flags, similar to what the military parents will see upon return. In all, the day was quite successful, Baker said, and the unit plans to do another one in about six months.