LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The voices of more than 100 children, undeterred by the relentless summer heat, echoed throughout the Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training compound Aug. 12.
Participating in Operation JET, Lackland's annual Junior Expeditionary Team program, they dripped in sweat, covered with dirt after completing the tactical course.
Chaperoned by counselors, the military kids experienced life in a deployed environment, much like many of their parents have.
Their excursion included a pre-deployment briefing and going through a mobility line at Mitchell Hall. They were then transported to Camp Independence at the BEAST, where they traversed the tactical course, viewed mobility displays, received more briefings, and ate a "meals ready-to-eat" lunch.
A military working dog instructor asked the assembly of children to volunteer several counselors for the MWD attack demonstration. "David! David! David!" the group chanted, soon followed by "Miss Noel! Miss Noel!
Miss Noel!" Four Lackland Youth Center counselors, one by one, each donned a protective suit and were tracked down by a military working dog.
The MWD demonstration was one of several activities planned for Operation JET participants by the Airman and Family Readiness Center.
"Operation JET gives our children an opportunity to experience the different phases of the deployment cycle. They know that mom or dad deploy, but they don't really understand the challenge," said Master Sgt. Jose Ontiveros, Readiness NCO.
"By participating, they know first hand what it's like to do those things," he added.
For Lt. Col. Kara Neuse, 802nd Mission Support Group deputy commander, and her two sons, Bryce and Jayce, it's not the first time the family has traveled down the deployment road.
During a recent five-year period, Neuse deployed four times, including a 365-day tour in Iraq.
"Military kids are very resilient. They see moms and dads deploy on a regular basis," Neuse said. "What is fantastic about this event is it really gives the children a chance to walk through the deployment. "They get a better understanding of the overall process and the serious questions moms and dads are asked before they deploy.
In the deployment line, they were told, 'You're not going to see your parents for six months.' It made them think what it would be like to be the one saying 'goodbye,'" she said.
Ricky Houghton, son of 802nd MSG Commander Col. Richard Houghton, had been through a youth mock deployment event at another base, but was ready for an encore. "It's a lot of fun," he said before climbing into a Humvee for a look at its mounted arsenal.
"He's seen me go through the deployment farewell part a couple of times," said the elder Houghton. "It's neat for him and his friends to experience the waiting in line, the keeping up, and the briefings. "It fills in some of the blanks because all he knows is that I get on a bus and I don't come back for six months. "It's valuable that he understands a tiny bit of what dad is doing," the commander said. "Who knows, it may spark an interest in him one day to follow in my footsteps."