Civil engineers fire up barbecues for deployers, families

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Meares
  • 96th Air Base Wing public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 96th Civil Engineer Squadron fired up the barbecues and treated their deploying members and the families to a cookout on the eve of their deployments.

To give them a proper send off and to meet their families, volunteers and co-workers cooked hamburgers, hotdogs and sausages on the grills. 

More than 35 members from the squadron will be deploying as a team in the next two weeks and many others will deploy within the next two months. The team, led by Maj. Don Treanor, 96th CES commander, is replacing a group from Hurlburt Field. The team will go through combat skills training at Fort McCoy, Wisc., to prepare for their assimilation with the Army.

"It's nice because it gives the squadron members and their families a chance to meet other members of the squadron," said Staff Sgt. Royal Archer, 796th CES power production. "They can meet other (spouses) to fall back on when they need help while their (spouse) is gone."

"I'm a firm believer that the family left back home deals with has much as the deployed member," the sergeant said, who has been deployed to Iraq twice.

Master Sgt. Brian Martin, 796th CES utilities, and his wife Michelle, are veterans to the deployment process. This trip to Iraq will be Sergeant Martin's second.

"I tell the kids it's time to circle the wagons and to take care of each other," Michelle said. "We try to keep busy and keep things as normal as possible. We keep the same routine and traditions as if dad was home."

It's stories and advice like that squadron leadership hopes to use for families who are going through this for the first time.

"There's stress involved," said Maj. Don Treanor, 96th CES commander and team leader. "Families may feel like their isolated because they don't know what's going on."

During the next two months, the civil engineers will send many Airmen to places in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and other areas of operations to support Air Force and Army forces alike.

"Our families have the hardest jobs back home," Sergeant Martin said. "It makes you rest easy knowing you have good support at home. As long as (the family) is happy, I'm happy."