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AFCENT band visit reunites father with Army son during deployment

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Schloeffel
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq --  As the U.S. Air Forces Central band traveled to various deployed bases throughout the Southwest Asia since mid-January, one of the group's musicians anxiously awaited his performances in early April at Kirkuk. 

Master Sgt. Dean Smith, a trombonist, re-united with his son, U.S. Army Specialist David Smith, during the band's stop here.

"I was so excited to see my son -- this is the first deployment for both of us, so it's good to see that we are both doing well," said Sergeant Smith, a resident and native of Mascoutha, Ill. "Before I deployed, I asked my boss when the band had last played in Kirkuk. I wanted to know if there was any way we could get up here so I could possibly see him."

The AFCENT band ensemble Sergeant Smith is a part of is named "Hot Brass" and is composed of nine members from the Air Mobility Command Band of Mid-America, from Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The group plays at various locations throughout the area of responsibility and performed six shows for Airmen and Soldiers stationed at Kirkuk. The Airmen musicians play a wide variety of music - from popular music hit songs to rhythm and blues classics.

"He was doing a lot of traveling with the band, and the main way I received updates on how he was doing is through my mother," said Specialist Smith, a truck driver with U.S. Army 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, who is stationed at Kirkuk, or Forward Operating Base Warrior, as the Army calls it, for 15 months of duty.

Part of Specialist Smith's duties includes frequent patrols throughout the outlying areas of the base. Despite being a major influence in his son's decision to serve his nation, Sergeant Smith constantly worries about his son's safety during his deployment. He said that seeing his son at Kirkuk will help both he and his wife sleep better at night.

"I often wondered what being deployed was like for my son, but now I'm seeing exactly what he see's on a daily basis," Sergeant Smith said.
"This gives me a little slice of the pie of what he is going through, what he does and where he is living at.

"There also is some normal trepidation for my wife, who has both her son and husband deployed right now," he added. "But now I will be able to tell her first-hand that her son is doing fine. I'm giving my son a boost by letting him know people back home are real proud of him, and I'm real proud of him too. So it's working out well for the whole family."

Apart from the customary greetings and hugs expected in a father and son reunion of this sort, the event also included a passing of a Smith family ring. The ring symbolized Specialist Smith's inclusion into the Smith family, which formally occurred only a few years ago. The ring is inscribed with the name Smith and a family crest.

"David is not my biological son, but I've been his father since he was five years old," Sergeant Smith said. "When he was finished high school, David came to me and said he wanted to graduate as a Smith because that's who he was.

"After that point, I decided to officially adopt him as my son," he added. "It's significant to the both of us that his name is now Smith, so I thought it was very important to bring the ring over here."

Specialist Smith considered the ring exchange as a proud moment to coincide with the positive experience of reuniting with his father in the deployed environment.

"My dad has helped me through all of the stressful times I've had in my life and Army career, which has had a very big impact," Specialist Smith said. "It was very relieving to see my father, so both of us could see first-hand that we were safe and doing well on our first deployment."