Posted on 09/21/2008 9:01:14 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
Servicemembers, families say goodbye as about 300 deploy
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Even pets came to say goodbye.
Families gathered in a parking lot near the north side of base Sunday morning to see their loved ones off to war.
There were kisses for spouses, bear hugs for kids, pats on the head for family dogs and a few tears for all, before airmen shuffled with their Army green duffle bags to a bus that marked the first leg of a journey. Final destination: Iraq.
First, the bus dropped them at a hangar. Airmen were to later board a plane and fly out of northern Japan for a deployment expected to last four to five months.
More than 300 airmen are deploying to an undisclosed base with the 14th Fighter Squadron, which is tasked with providing close-air support to troops on the ground. The main body left Sunday, according to base officials.
Though the squadron last deployed to Iraq about 16 months ago, many airmen, new to Misawa since then, are facing their first assignment there with a mix of anticipation and uneasy jitters.
"I ain’t going to lie. I am (nervous)," said Staff Sgt. Marcus Cook, 28, a 35th Maintenance Squadron precision-guided munitions crew chief from East Hampton, Conn.
"You never know what to expect," he said about a week before deploying. "It’s a war zone. You just want to get there, get started."
With his wife, Dora, and dog Jake by his side Sunday morning, Airman 1st Class Jonathan Upchurch, 23, of the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, allowed that he was excited for his maiden deployment.
"You’re actually excited?" Dora asked, sounding surprised.
"A little bit. It’s something new," Upchurch said.
For others, like Staff Sgt. Eric Parker, 33, this seemed like a routine deployment. Parker, who works for the 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, has deployed five times, including once previously to a different location in Iraq.
"It’s the same for me, the same job," he said.
But with the presidential elections in the United States around the corner and other concerns, this deployment is more worrisome for Parker’s wife, Kathy.
"Because of the timing and where he’s going; I’m just reading the news too much," she said, adding: "It’s kind of one of those the more you go, it increases your odds type feeling."
Senior Airman Martin Vlacich, 24, is married but he and his wife didn’t have to prepare for a long separation. Airman 1st Class Megan Vlacich is also deploying. Megan and Martin met at Misawa and are assigned to the 35th Maintenance Squadron.
Though tagged for the same deployment, the couple expects life downrange to feel nothing like a second honeymoon. Unlike the Army, the Air Force doesn’t allow married servicemembers to share living quarters.
Because they work for different shops, they won’t see each other on the job much, either. But the Vlacichs hope to be able to spend some of their down time together, a possibility since they’re both scheduled for the same 12-hour shift.
If anything, "we’ll see each other in passing, maybe," Vlacich said recently.
"Everyone says you’re giving up family separation pay," he said. "I’d gladly give up $300 a month so as not to have to go four or five months without seeing her."
Airman 1st Class LaBrandon Scales, 24, of the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, hugs his wife Shaquetha Scales, and children, Shavondre, 8, center, and Khalie, 4. Scales was among a large group of airmen at Misawa Air Base, Japan, who deployed Sunday to Iraq in support of the 14th Fighter Squadron.
Northern Japan--farm country or it used to be
God be with you warriors
their=there—sorry! I know better, I swear!
No problem. :0)
LOL! I lived at Camp Zama (my dad was stationed there) and we got bumped on a space available MAC flight at Misawa AFB and the first thought that came to my head was the looks that my mom, me and my sister all got from being one of very few girls there. Thanks for sparking a memory! Prayers to our troops!
I'm going over there in December to be there for the birth and I get to see him and his family before he leaves. Fortunately his wife is native to the island and will be staying with family during his deployment. Needless to say I am scared for him (he told me he'll be in dangerous area but not where exactly) but I'm also proud of him.
Late 70’s I used to fly navy cargo flights to Misawa. It was the ‘end-of-the-line’ in way northern Japan. Winters there were cold, windy and snowy. Really cold. The Russians were nearby and there was plenty to do there then too.
I recall, Russian jets would fly close to the base and when the air raid sirens went off we would have to take our rations, (as they were called then) and go into the tunnels built under the base until the all clear. I am sure everything has changed but it was a very good time in my life. I enjoyed every minute we were there.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.