It's beginning to look a lot like an Air Force holiday season

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Capling
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  One of my favorite things about serving in the Air Force is the sense of family I feel during the holidays.

My first assignment was as a security forces troop at Royal Air Force Lakenheath Air Base, United Kingdom. My wife Ashley and I arrived on station in late November 2004. We were new to the country, the base and the Air Force.

After completing First-Term Airmen Center and security forces localized training, my first day on the job was Christmas Eve. Ashley and I were not looking forward to the holiday and being away from our families in the U.S. As newlyweds, we lived in a nearly empty house and didn't have a whole lot of money. We didn't even have a tree to set up. I was scheduled to work Christmas day and Ashley wasn't, so we didn't plan on doing anything special for the holiday.

As I turned in my rifle after duty on Christmas Eve, the now retired Master Sgt. Bob Hitchcock, my flight chief at the time, called me over to him. Being the brand new Airman on flight, I got a little nervous. Why was the boss singling me out on my first day of work? "I must have screwed up today," I thought as I trotted over to him and stood tall.

"Yes sir?" I said.

"Capling, I heard your wife isn't working tomorrow," he said.

"No sir," I replied.

"This is your first Christmas together isn't it?" he said.

"Yes sir," I answered.

"Merry Christmas, take tomorrow off and we'll see you on the 26th," Sergeant Hitchcock said.

"Thank you sir!" I said, and floated back to my car to drive home and tell Ashley the good news.

That night we decided, since we were going to be together, we had to at least make a Christmas dinner. We drove to the commissary that night and bought a ham and other holiday treats. I invited two other Airmen, who were also new to the base and didn't have family there, to our house. The next evening, the four of us sat down to a traditional Christmas dinner and we were able to capture that feeling of being with family on the holiday. We stuffed ourselves with food, told jokes and played board games. Even though we weren't home, it felt darn close.

That's the great thing about serving in the military. No matter where we're at, we're not alone. We're always with people in the same boat.

Almost every holiday since I've been in has been spent with my wife, my children, and other Airmen and their families. We're all bonded through the common denominator of service and everyone seems to come together when we need each other the most, like at holiday time. I have yet to serve during a holiday where somebody hasn't opened their home to my family.

One unique thing I've learned about servicemembers is the ability to adapt to new situations at a rapid pace. During my first deployment, Easter could have been just another day, but some outstanding services Airmen decided to do what they could to make an extra special meal at the dining facility tent. Their effort went a long way to boost the morale of several thousand Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen. We were far from home, but we were certainly among family.

This holiday season, keep the new Airmen, the old Airmen and the Airmen who are deployed in mind. For those of us that can't spend the holiday with our families back home, let's make it a great holiday with our Air Force families.