Father, son spend first assignment together at 380th AEW

Published July 10, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The sounds of friendly banter and laughter could be heard coming from the two Airmen as they attempted to paddle a ball back and forth in a game of table tennis.

"I'm going to teach him how to play pingpong and beat him mercilessly," said the senior airman of the chief master sergeant, a phrase that in any other setting might incur a counseling session.

For these two, however, it's all in the family.

Chief Master Sgt. William Ford, 380th Expeditionary Operations Group superintendent, is deployed here with his son, Senior Airman Michael Ford, 970th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron computer display maintenance technician.

The chief, originally from Wakefield, Mass., has been in the Air Force 27 years. Air Force life is all 23-year-old Mike has ever known.

"I haven't really lived anywhere that hasn't been an Air Force base," said Mike, who is deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. "I was born on one, and I'm still at one."

Though Mike said he originally wanted to be different things growing up, he eventually decided he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. This July marks his fifth year in service, as well as in the same career field as William.

"He now knows a lot of the people that I've known," said the chief, who is deployed from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. "We've gone to a lot of the same places. He's flying the exact same aircraft (E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft) I flew 20 years ago."

This deployment is the first time they've been assigned together. It almost didn't happen.

"This was an accident my coming here, I'm actually a last-minute fill-in for somebody else," William said.

They both arrived within four days of each other in April and said it's "cool" being together.

"I remember coming home from deployments and I'd tell my wife and kids about where I was, but now it's like, my son's going to the DFAC (dining facility)," William said. "It took me about a week to get used to it."

"I've been here twice before, but the third time is much better because he's here," Mike added.

The chief said his wife enjoys knowing they are together.

"It's a big thrill for her to see the two of us on Skype and know we're here," he said. "She knows where we're both at and we're both safe."

Though they know their time together is growing short, they make the most of it. The father and son spend as much time as they can together, watching videos online, sharing care packages from home, talking with family on the computer - and playing mean games of pingpong.

"It's really cool being in another country, serving our country, doing it together and having fun at the same time," Mike said.