Technology connects sisters for promotion

  • Published
  • By Capt. Heather Healy
  • 3rd Air Force Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (AFPN) --  Ver and Josie Param were in for a surprise May 27 when they arrived at 3rd Air Force headquarters here to witness their youngest daughter’s promotion to captain.

Moments before the ceremony began, 1st Lt. Joy Param, a 3rd Air Force intelligence officer, escorted her parents and brother, Vince, into a small room where they would pin on her captain bars.

The room was fitted in traditional promotion ceremony style -- neat rows of chairs filled with co-workers and friends lined the back wall, while a shiny new box of rank sat on a table.

However, this was no traditional promotion ceremony.

As the Params entered, they were greeted by a familiar voice that came from the glowing video teleconference screen on the wall.

It was their eldest daughter, Army Capt. Jennifer Finch, commander of the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion's Company B, coming to them live from Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, where she is serving a one-year tour.

“(My parents) don’t even know much about e-mail,” said Vince, who admitted that the sight of his own sister was surprising. “(My parents) kept asking if that was her for real or if it was a tape.”

The surprise, for all of them, quickly wore off.

“I didn’t expect this,” Mrs. Param said. “This technology is nice!”

“First I was surprised and then delighted,” said Mr. Param, who said he was very glad to see his daughter who is serving in Iraq. “I’m very proud of her.”

The room full of Airmen asked Captain Finch about daily life in Iraq.

“It’s 110 degrees here in Iraq and climbing,” said the captain, who admitted she longed for both cooler weather and her mom’s home cooking. “I really miss my mother’s Swedish meatballs, but at least we’re not eating (packaged meals) anymore.”

The casual conversation turned to joking between Captain Finch and Lieutenant Param.

“Now I can call you Jen!” said the lieutenant, referring to being the same rank.

“Only for a few more months!” said Captain Finch, who will soon be promoted to the rank of major.

Lieutenant Param initially regarded the idea of having her sister promote her from Iraq as a pipe dream.

“I was just sitting there at the computer one day, and I thought it’d be really cool to have her do it on VTC,” Lieutenant Param said. “She commissioned me four years ago, and now we’re going to be the same rank. I kept asking myself: Am I crazy? Would this work?”

She mentioned the idea to her boss, and before she knew it, the wheels were in motion.

“I didn’t expect it to happen, but it did,” Lieutenant Param said. “People were really busy today, especially in Iraq, and it’s touching how everyone made this happen.”

Army and Air Force communications people on both sides of the VTC assured that Captain Finch was loud and clear when she read the oath of office to her younger sister, just as she had four years earlier.

“I have so much appreciation for the technology that allows me to be a part of this,” said Captain Finch, who said she was extremely thankful she could participate in this momentous occasion in her sister’s life while deployed to Iraq. “This just affirms how all the services come together to support their personnel.”

There was only one person missing from the Param family -- Vernie, a Citadel cadet who is preparing for basic training. It will not be long before he graduates and enters the Army himself.

“I didn’t think I’d have any family here,” said Lieutenant Param, whose father’s recent stroke made traveling from the United States for the promotion very difficult. “It’s a big bonus for me, and it turned out even better than I thought it would.”

With Captain Param’s new rank firmly in place, she said an emotional goodbye to her sister on the screen.

“Take care Jen! I love you. God bless you and your troops, and come home safe,” she said. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)