Father, son reunite on deployment

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael G. Johnson
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  A father finding his son in a desert is tough enough, but when the two are from different services it is even tougher. But that is exactly what happened to this Airman and Soldier.

Senior Master Sgt. James Sedoris of the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, was asked to drive a couple of medics to a nearby Army camp for a briefing Sept. 29. Sergeant Sedoris knew his son, Army Pfc. Weston Sedoris was in-country on his way to Iraq, but he did not know where.

“I knew he was coming this way,” Sergeant Sedoris said. “His wife e-mailed me to let me know he was in-country, but she didn’t know where.”

As they drove to the Army camp, Sergeant Sedoris asked for divine guidance.

“I actually said a little prayer to myself -- if he’s here, give me some sign or give me some help so that I can find him,” he said.

As their vehicle pulled through the Army gate, Sergeant Sedoris got his sign. He noticed the screaming eagle patch on the shoulder of a 101st Airborne Division Soldier -- the same patch his son wears. He figured odds were against his son being there but it was worth looking into. After he dropped the medics off for their briefing, he noticed an antenna nearby.

“My son’s a communications guy, … a signal guy. I figured that’s as good a place to start as any, so I went and talked to those folks,” he said.

The Soldiers by the antenna had not heard of Private Sedoris but they were able to point him in the direction of the signal corps headquarters tent. Inside, a personnel captain was able to find his son on a list but was not able to find his location.

“They sent us to another building which was a different company,” Sergeant Sedoris said. “They looked him up on their system, and they were able to pinpoint him to a particular location in tent city.”

Just before departing for tent city, a Soldier popped his head over the cubicle and said he knew where Private Sedoris was.

“We found him in his hooch hanging with his buds,” Sergeant Sedoris said.

“It was pretty crazy,” Private Sedoris said. “He walked into the tent, and I didn’t even know who it was. They just shouted my name and I thought I was in trouble or something, and I stepped outside and it was my dad -- I really didn’t expect to see him.”

“The first words out of his mouth were, ‘How… did you find me?’” Sergeant Sedoris said. He told his son about the help he received finding him and about his trip to the camp.

They talked for about 10 minutes, but then Sergeant Sedoris had to leave.

“When I gave him his hug yesterday afternoon, it was a very bittersweet thing,” he said. “It was great to see him. You know I’m probably not going to come back to see him before he goes north. It’s kind of tugging at me right now … he’s my boy. He’s probably going to get in harm’s way, and it’s a little bit hard to swallow.

“I know exactly what’s going on up there; I’m part of the med group,” Sergeant Sedoris added. “We receive the casualties that come down from the north and stabilize them and send them back toward Germany. I’ve been around. I’ve had a good life. It’s not that I don’t care what happens to me, (but) this is my son, he’s my boy, and I’m not going to be there to protect him.”

While finding each other in a desert was a long shot at best, the story does not end there.

At the age of 20, Sergeant Sedoris enlisted in the Air Force and shipped off to basic training when his wife was eight months pregnant with his son.

His son was 6 months old when he saw him for the first time following his initial training. Private Sedoris is now 20, and his first child will be born while he is deployed to Iraq.

Before he left, Sergeant Sedoris told his son to pay attention to his training and to stay safe.

“I have some relief that I’m here,” Sergeant Sedoris said. “I can just hope and pray that his (leaders) take care of him the best they can, and his training speaks for itself while he’s out there. It’s not easy, it’s not easy at all, and I feel for anyone out there (who) has brothers, sisters, sons or daughters (who) are doing this. But we all understand. (That is) the nature of it, and we just have to press on.”

His son agrees.

“It’s a great thing that both of us are doing,” Private Sedoris said. “I’m sure it’s hard on my wife and my mom as well, but it’s well worth it. (We are fighting for) a good cause.”