Photo by Staff Sgt.Bill Cornelius

Members from the 1st Fighter Wing exit the aircraft to a warm welcome after returning from their deployment Sunday and Monday.

Ecstatic families welcome returning Langley airmen

HAMPTON -- Six-year-old Anja Kliss could hardly contain herself when she spotted her dad getting off a plane Saturday afternoon at Langley Air Force Base. "I see him!" she screamed as Tech. Sgt. Mike Kliss and about 200 other airmen returned from duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Anja twirled, jumped, and crunched up her sign that read - on one side - "My daddy makes me proud and keeps me safe" and on the other, drawn in a child's hand, "I miss my Dad. I love my Dad." When Kliss found his family in the crowd, Anja leaped from the ground into his arms. He was gone almost three months. It was a long time to be without him, said his wife, Bianca. "It always is. Every time."

The airmen who returned Saturday afternoon, and another 180 who were due in late Saturday, mostly are maintenance and support personnel with the 1st Fighter Wing, said public affairs officer Lt. Ben Frankenfield. He would not say where they had been. Some family members said the airmen were at a secret location near the Iraqi border. Staff Sgt. Damon Johnson was gone since Feb. 13, said his fiancee, Staff Sgt. Melissa Gervais. "It doesn't seem like a long time, but it feels like it," she said.

Gervais was packed and ready to go to Turkey before the war - and the couple had made plans for grandparents of their toddler son, Damonte, to take care of him while they were deployed. "But since Turkey wasn't letting anybody in, I kind of got saved," Gervais said. Hundreds of friends and relatives - some of whom traveled hundreds of miles - were there to meet the returning airmen. Staff Sgt. Joshua Jarvis was met by a contingent from Monson, Mass., which is 600 miles away. Sometimes they went for weeks without hearing from him. His father, David Jarvis, watched television every available minute, "for any little tidbit. Just something to let me know you're OK."

Senior Airman Jason E. Robinson's parents and sister came from Buffalo, N.Y., 742 miles away. "And we are ecstatic," said his mother, Rita Robinson. "It's actually our Easter vacation. This is the icing on the cake." His father, Mark Robinson, held 9-year-old sister Journee A. Robinson on his shoulders as the crowd waited. The American flag sticking up from her hair made her look even taller. Screams and cheers, hugs and tears greeted the airmen when they left the plane.Most of them. Airman Casey Brown could not find his father, who was supposed to be there from Charlestown, W.Va. Elsewhere in the crowd, Airman 1st Class Mary Copus said, "I feel so left out." Her family lives in Arkansas, and Langley was too far for them to drive. With her was Airman 1st Class Valerie Tarver, whose family couldn't come from Sacramento, Calif. "I'm going home to see them as soon as I can," she said.

1st Fighter Wing welcomes home airmen from war

By Tech. Sgt. Mark Getsy
1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Hundreds of family members, co-workers and friends raced across the flight line to greet nearly 400 Langley members returning from their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Saturday. The airmen returning on the two contracted airlines, were aircraft maintainers, weapon loaders and medical personnel deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The airmen spent just over two months in support of OIF. They arrived just days after the pilots and F-15s from the 71st Fighter Squadron came home. The Heritage of America Band was also on hand to provide entertainment, and USO representatives provided food and beverages for those in attendance.

"It feels good that it's over and it's great to be back," said Staff Sgt. Ben Emons of the 1st Component Repair Squadron. I'm happy it went quickly.” His wife, Melissa, was also glad he came home sooner. "It was nice to see his face (when he came off the plane)," she said. "I was very, very happy to hear he was coming home so soon. It was tough at times (when he was gone) because we are in the process of building a house. Having a power of attorney really helped out, but now that he's back, he can help out with the rest. Emons said he had to perform tasks outside of his normal duties when they first arrived due to the bare-base situation. "I had to do jobs such as building tents and laying communication wires (throughout the base)," he said. "I also acted as a security forces augmentee."

For Tech. Sgt. Samantha Cruz of the 1st Medical Group, the deployment to a bare-base operation was an experience she'll always remember. ?It was chaos, overwhelming chaos," she said. "We knew what had to be done (when we arrived). We were told from the beginning we would be plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. However, after about a week, the e-meds were up and running." Cruz said the thing she missed most while she was deployed was her daughter, Tabitha. The noncommissioned officer of the Platinum Team said she was glad she had the opportunity to defend her country. "It was wonderful," said Cruz. "It wasn't what I thought it would be. You really don't see the big picture until you are there living it."

Overall, more than 4,000 service members, including the Army and Coast Guard, have deployed through Langley in support of the war effort. More than 1,000 of them were members of the 1st Fighter Wing. The wing still has more than 600 people deployed to more than 20 locations worldwide.