Families and Airmen reunite during YRRP event

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Wolf
  • 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Fourteen members of the 442nd Security Forces Squadron had the opportunity to attend the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration event with their families in Excelsior Springs, Mo. March 5-6.

After a six-month deployment in Iraq, a two-day family event at The Elms Resort and Spa was just the remedy.

"It was reassuring to see people still smiling," said Senior Master Sgt. Robert Smith, 442nd SFS noncommissioned officer in charge. "This time I think it was harder to dump the stress of the deployment. You go over there so many times and you think you have (deployment) down to an art, but it actually gets harder."

For Sergeant Smith, the event was about reconnecting with fellow Airmen from the deployment. Because he isn't married and doesn't have children, he said his main purpose at the event was to make sure his fellow wingmen were adjusting to life back home.

"This time, we got to our (area of responsibility) and we hit the ground running," he said. "There were periods where things were going smoothly, but then it's hard to hear what people are going through back home."

For Tech. Sgt. Bryan Byler, 442nd SFS Airman, the most difficult part of the deployment, he said, was being away.

"I feel guilty leaving, and leaving (my wife) with all the responsibilities," he said.

While the Bylers don't have children, they have several pets to care for, and Sergeant Byler said he knew that was a difficult enough task.

"I am glad we had this event because I have been afraid to call (the other Airmen)," Sergeant Smith said. "It was like we got back, and I didn't want to bother them because they've been away from their families for so long, and for them, it was family time."

While the Yellow Ribbon event was intended to bring families together, it enforced one thing that many of the Airmen learned while on their deployment - the 442nd SFS is a family of its own.

"Our squadron is super close," Sergeant Smith said. "Sometimes I get e-mails from people who are going through stuff, so it helped me to see that everyone is O.K."

Unlike previous 442nd Fighter Wing Yellow Ribbon events, the amount of members and their families who were eligible to attend was much smaller.

"I have helped organized two yellow ribbon events," said Master Sgt. Vickie Chambers, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 442nd Airman and Family Readiness office. "One (event) had over 300 people and one had 14. I can honestly tell you that even though the larger group was able to reach more people, the smaller group was able to help the members. In my opinion the smaller group was more effective."

Previous yellow ribbon events had much of the same material presented: Financial planning, parenting, marital communication, Tri-Care, Veteran's Affairs benefits and education. Along with that information however, the group was able to take advantage of the small number of attendees by having roundtable discussions and an opportunities for the parents and the children to participate in team-building activities together.

"With smaller groups, members are able to get the one-on-one attention and questions answered that are needed to truly reintegrate into life," Sergeant Chambers said. "All the participants and spouses seemed like they were truly excited to be there and to hear what the speakers had to say."

"Statistically," she added, "if you have more than 20 people in a group, you will not have as much participation."

The members weren't the only ones the yellow ribbon team geared the event toward though.

"This event gave the families time to step out of their lives," Sergeant Chambers said. "I know when I returned from a deployment, everyone wanted to talk to me and see me. It was so hard to give my immediate family the attention they deserved. Having this event within 30 days of the return home allows the family to step back, take a breath and truly hear the message from the speakers."

It also allowed the children to participate in family, team-building exercises such as building structures out of snack food. While the construction was an event that was exciting for the children, it allowed the families to bond and work together as a team.

For many of the spouses, Sergeant Chambers said, the round table discussion seemed to be a highly effective way to communicate.

"The situations the spouses and the members are dealing with were completely different," she said. "Separating them into two groups gave them each the courage to speak in confidence without hurting the other one's feelings. This was a huge step in helping the spouses with the reintegration period."

Maj. Todd Riddle, yellow ribbon event coordinator, said it was important to have a small group of people attending the event and participating.

"It helped promote the members' connectedness and gave each person an opportunity to share their experiences with the group," he said. "(The commander's welcome barbecue the first night) helped build some trusting relationship for the level of communication in the follow-on workshops."

Major Riddle said the yellow ribbon team plans to host future events for members who have been deployed for more than 90 days.