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Family Deployment Line gives kids a taste of deployed life

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Susan L. Davis
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Nearly 250 Grand Forks Air Force Base family members got a glimpse of life as a deployed Airman Oct. 20 through a free Family Deployment Line event, sponsored by the base Airman & Family Services Flight.

The idea behind the event was to give families the opportunity to show children ages 3-16 a firsthand look at what Airmen experience when preparing for a deployment. The event was loaded with free food and refreshments, mock briefings, moon bounces, face painting, static displays from base and local agencies and prize giveaways.

The number of attending participants at the event was a significant jump from last year's 83. Master Sgt. Jesse Maki, event coordinator and Airman & Family Readiness superintendent, said it was very rewarding to see the event unfold as planned, and lauded the efforts of the more than 150 volunteers who helped make the deployment line a success.

"We really wanted to follow a typical deployment cycle to make this event as realistic as possible," he said. "I feel we did an outstanding job with the pre-deployment stage, and we made an accurate representation of a deployed location as well. When we deploy, we must adjust to the diverse demands of a joint environment. In order to mimic a joint environment, we brought in a variety of state and local agencies, as well as the Army, to set the stage as accurately as we could."

Children began their deployment journey at the base fitness center where families signed in and deployers received their dog tags and "passports," as well as a drawstring bag to hold handouts and goodies.

They would then process through the medical tables set up in the fitness center lobby and on the Astroturf field below the indoor track, where children received M&Ms candy from the "pharmacy," a syringe full of Jell-O from "immunizations," eye and reflex exams, and a physical fitness test consisting of a run through a moon bounce obstacle course by the Health and Wellness Center table.

Once recruits were declared fit for duty, they and their families were bused on color-coordinated "chalks" to receive their mission briefing from Col. Timothy Bush, 319th Air Base Wing commander, who gave deployers their mission objective in a pre-recorded video address.

In the video message, Bush explained to the recruits that they were deploying to Camp Standup, where their mission was to stop bullying.

Following the mission briefing, children had the opportunity to get their faces painted in camouflage colors, get fitted for helmets and flak jackets, observe weapons up close, and get their photos taken with Airmen from the 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron who were in full Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear.

The final stop on the deployment trail was at the three-bay hangar area, booming with ambient noise of jets and explosives. There were fire trucks, HUMVEES, ambulances, and weapons on display, as well as a Military Working Dog exhibit and a Skype tent where children could communicate from inside with their families outside.

Recruits were shown a hero's welcome once they were "redeployed" back to their home stations, where they took photos with medals presented to them, which were made into keepsake buttons. Families were also treated to pizza, sandwiches, chips, candy and cake in the mess tent.

"Deployments are a challenge that our military families face," Maki said. "But we feel that showing children what their parents go through when deploying gives them an understanding of the deployment process, and hopefully helps them better cope with their parent's absence by taking the 'unknown' out of the process."

The goal is to make the deployment event an annual undertaking.