Kids fill their parents' combat boots

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chelsea Cummings
  • 7th Bomb Wings Public Affairs
6/4/2010-DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  More than 500 children took part in a mock deployment known as Operation Dyess Kids June 4 at the Deployment Control Center.

The "deployment" consisted of a fun version of an Air Force processing line, mission brief, physical training led by Dyess Marines and a tour of a C-130 Hercules and a C-130J Super Hercules to simulate traveling to their deployed environment. The participants were then treated to a barbecue to "welcome them home" after their deployment.

More than 150 Airmen volunteered to help with the event. The local VFW, First Sergeants' Council, commissary and other Dyess agencies contributed to make the event a success.

"I'm having a great time, I love working with kids," said Senior Airman Britni Berry, a volunteer from the 7th Force Support Squadron. "I think it's good for them to do this, they get an idea of what their parents go through."

The purpose of Operation Dyess Kids was to help the children understand why parents deploy and what they go through during a deployment, as well as to encourage parent-child communication. The program aimed to ease some of the tension children have about their parents' deployments, which allows the deployers to focus on the mission.