As COVID-19 continued to affect deployments around the world, airmen downrange found hope in their wingmen and showed true resilience when challenges were thrown their way.
Due to the unforeseen mission impacts due to COVID-19, the 729th Air Control Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, was unable to replace members of the 726th Air Control Squadron on time. This pushed back the 726th ACS airmen's redeployment to their home station at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, by almost a month.
As COVID-19 began to ramp up, Air Force Airman 1st Class Barbara Miller, a surveillance technician with the 726th ACS, knew her homecoming would not be the same.
''During month seven, we still didn't know when we were coming home,'' said Miller, a first-time deployer. ''Our leadership was transparent, and they were doing what they could to get us back.''
Despite their best efforts, the delay was still disheartening to many. But Miller said she found ways to stay positive and keep pushing forward.
''We got to work with our coalition partners and the Marines,'' she said. ''I couldn't have asked for a better support system; they make the job easier. We knew there would be a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere.''
Positivity in the midst of hardship can be difficult, but as it took root in the squadron, people began to notice, including Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Barber, 726th ACS commander.
''There were many mental and physical challenges that they had to go through with this deployment,'' Barber said. ''These airmen adapted so well with the changes that were thrown their way.''
The airmen came together during their time of uncertainty, and so did their families back home.
''We definitely saw a mutually beneficial camaraderie with families and spouses of the deployed airmen,'' Barber said. ''They were hosting virtual coffee hours or virtual trivia nights to break away from the monotony and maintain a social life while physically distancing.''
Airmen and their families proved to be prioritizing their mental health during trying times, Barber said. ''Thankfully, that keeps their minds sharp so they can take care of each other and the mission,'' he added.
''The airmen that deploy from the 726th ACS and all the ACSs from across the Air Force are the theater air control for the entire theater,'' Barber said. ''They have a large weight of responsibility, and their ability to be resilient with the changes and the daily missions was incredible.''
The airmen of the 726th Air Control Squadron were faced with the uncertainty of the current times and met it with resilience and camaraderie. ''It was a crazy, eye-opening and exciting seven months,'' Miller said. ''I learned a lot about myself and my job, and I would do it all over again.''
(Air Force Airman Natalie Rubenak is assigned to the 366th Fighter Wing.)