Deployments affect families

PITTSBURGH AIR RESERVE STATION -- When Airmen deploy, it can affect not only the Airmen but their families as well. 

Senior Airman Michael Tucker has been married for 12 years when he deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, in May. "I missed my family. I missed being home," he said. "I have two kids; one is 11 and the other is five. I missed my eleven-year-olds birthday. That was tough." 

Senior Airman Tucker, who works in military pay and travel at the 911th Airlift Wing, believes the deployment was worth it. "It gave me the chance to see and do new things," he said. "I got the chance to work with the active duty and gain experience in my career field that I would not gain during a UTA." 

In 2008, the 911th Airlift Wing deployed 15 of its Airmen to eight different locations including Kyrgyzstan, Spain and Kuwait. The Airlift Wing support staff is a hodgepodge of sections that together support the wing. One of these sections is the chaplain, where Tech. Sgt. Timothy Crane is assigned. 

"We were a ministry of presence," said Tech. Sgt. Crane who deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in May 2008. As the noncommissioned officer in charge of the chaplain's office, he was out meeting and talking to everyone, he said, from the Airmen on the flight line to the general in his office. "We made sure everyone was mentally, morally and spiritually ready to perform their mission." 

This was not Tech. Sgt. Crane's first deployment, though this was his first deployment with the Air Force. "I've been deployed before, so my wife of over 20 years handled it very well," he said. "Fortunately, I was deployed over the summer, so my oldest son was able to come home from college and help out around the house."
One of the things Tech. Sgt. Crane liked most about being deployed were the friendships he developed. 

"We were a Joint Readiness Team," he said. "We were there with all branches of the military. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship we had."
Master Sgt. Jim Kelley, a ground safety manager with the 911th Airlift Wing, deployed for the first time in September to Guam as the noncommissioned officer in charge of weapons safety. He has been married for 20 years. 

"My wife told me 'you don't know what you have until you don't have it anymore,'" he said. "She was great about my deployment. It was tough on the younger kids, though. My oldest son left for Air Force basic training while I was gone." 

The mail and phone calls helped the four months go by faster, Master Sgt. Kelley said. "Getting letters and hand-drawn pictures from my kids was really nice." 
One of the things Master Sgt. Kelley remembers most clearly during his deployment was an investigative team he was on for the near-drowning of a young girl. "It brought the reality of life and death right to the forefront," he said. "That's what my job is all about."