HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- When Airmen deploy, their children sometimes wonder what their parents might be doing. To tackle this issue, the 419th Military and Family Readiness (419th M&FR) office and the 419th Maintenance Group (419th MXG) let children of the 419th Fighter Wing do a mock deployment line which they called the Children’s Deployment on March 4, 2023, during the wing’s UTA weekend at Hill Air Force Base.
“We want families to know that we care about them and that their part of their parent’s deployment is incredibly valuable,” said Christina Anderson, the Flight Chief for the 419th Military and Family Readiness office. “We're just trying to make it so that deployers have peace of mind.”
The 419th M&FR office and 419th MXG planned activities all morning long for the children and parents. From briefings to seeing F-35A Lightning IIs take-off, from legal training to medical checkups; they were able to experience what it is like in their parent’s footsteps.
“We want to establish face-to-face communication with families early on,” said Anderson. “So, they know they can call on us at any time if things get tough at home.”