President's promise reunites deployed father, daughter

Published Jan. 6, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Recently a father's Christmas wish to see his deployed daughter came true thanks to a call from President Barrack Obama.

Christmas Day, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Kevin Laursen received a call from President Obama wishing the deployed medical technician happy holidays.

During the course of the brief conversation, the President asked Petty Officer Laursen for one Christmas wish -- "To see my daughter," he replied.

A week later thanks to the support of his deployed chain of command, Seaman Laursen was on his way for a short visit with his daughter Air Force 2nd Lt. Andrea Laursen, a registered nurse deployed to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield.

Although Petty Officer Laursen knew he was chosen to receive the President's holiday call a few weeks before lifting the receiver, he was not prepared to answer the question. The answer to see his daughter was spur of the moment, but an answer he was grateful to have thought of.

"I am really grateful to see her again," said the 15-year Navy veteran. "I am just so proud of her and the work she does every day here. She is saving people's lives and doing everything she can so they can get home to their families."

Over the years, the father of three; Andrea, 24, Dennis, 22 and Erica, 11, from Meridian, Idaho, has become the head of a contemporary military family.

"I originally signed up for the military in '81 as a dental technician," he said. "I got off active duty in 1990 to pursue a career as a bio-medical repair technician. It was after the events of 9-11 I felt repatriated and rejoined the reserves."

Lieutenant Laursen was born in 1986, went to nursing school -- following in her stepmother and father's footsteps -- and was commissioned in the Air Force in 2009. Her younger brother joined the Coast Guard, and Petty Officer Laursen has left his family on three separate occasions filling deployments on the USS Midway, USS Comfort and now working with the Army at Kandahar.

"I wouldn't say we came from a military family, but we have become one. I couldn't have been more proud of her when she joined the Air Force," he explained. "She has so much to offer the Air Force, especially in the medical field. She is good at her job, she cares and she just lightens a room."

Lieutenant Laursen was even commissioned in the families' living room before leaving for officer training school.

"He is a huge influence on me, my life and decision to join the military a year ago," said the lieutenant. "Don't get me wrong, I worried about him when he said he was deploying to Kandahar, but I knew he was doing the right thing."

While the visit was only three days, the Laursens are grateful for the time they have together.

"It is wonderful to know there are people out there, in the civilian community and within our military chain of command who understand we are still humans, with worries, emotions and concerns for ourselves and our families," said Petty Officer Laursen. "Now my only wish is that the rest of the guys could see their families as well."