Reservist discusses deployment

  • Published
  • By A B-52 weapons loader
  • 917th Wing
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Editor's Note: The following are observations by a B-52 weapons loader from Air Force Reserve Command's 917th Wing about his experiences in the war on terrorism and how it feels to be home, for the moment.

The countries blended together with every fuel stop, but the anticipation of the final landing caused my heart to race. Faces filled the aircraft windows, straining to find loved ones in the waiting crowd.

I sat back down to wait my turn, unable to get a peek out the window for myself. As reservists from the 93rd Bomb Squadron returned in late January from a forward operating area in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, family and friends anxiously waited on the ramp for their personal "hero" to step from the plane.

One hundred and twenty-two days had passed since leaving here and everything I love. Who could forget the "I can't believe this is happening" looks on everyone's face as we boarded the C-5 bound for war? It was much like the look we all had when we walked into our tents hours later to find nothing but a cot waiting for us.

Being there was like being a kid back at summer camp for the first time, realizing you didn't like it but knowing you couldn't call Mom to come get you. We were given 30 minutes to pack that September morning, so many of us had forgotten to take pictures and personal items of loved ones left behind. After spending so much time together, sometimes we were friends and sometimes we were enemies but often we were each other's closest confidants.

Few people are allowed the experience to accomplish what we did and make history at the same time. To do that, we made the best of the situation by adapting to our new environment. Even walking through the rain and mud to take a shower began to seem normal. We could look at the cots next to us and know our friends were there. It was good to feel that camaraderie so far from home.

Being there has changed me in many ways. I no longer enjoy television more than a familiar voice. Snoring sounds are music to my ears compared to the roar of jet engines at the end of the runway ready for launch.

Even though I still wake in the middle of the night and look around to see if my friends are safely in their cots, I know that this will pass eventually. My time may be short before returning to the zone but whatever the future holds for my buddies and me, we will prevail. Our futures depend on it. (Courtesy Air Force Reserve Command News Service)