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380AEW Article

Deployed Airmen use technology to enjoy togetherness while they are worlds apart

  • Published
  • By Capt. Cathleen Snow
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Mrs. Rebecca Vance could hardly contain her 4-year-old fraternal twins. The boy, a redhead named Cooper, and the girl, a blonde named Caroline, bounced around in front of a laptop computer screen as they listened to and watched their father Capt. Brian Vance who stood 4,000 miles away at an undisclosed base here.

Captain Vance had that proud look of a father as he busily introduced his military friends and colleagues to his family via the laptop.

They were all there to observe a momentous ceremonial occasion where the captain would soon be promoted to the rank of major.

Families of deployed service members around the world are now able to enjoy togetherness when they are worlds apart thanks to a software application that is set up at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Seven Sands Chapel at an undisclosed location here. It enables Airmen and their families to not only hear each other but to see and interact with each other via a computer screen.

The application is Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP which is a phone call over the internet which is free to other users of the same software.

"I was deployed in 2003 for four months. We barely got to make a 15-minute call home once a week. To be able to see their faces and talk to them is vital," said Major Vance, finance chief, 380th AEW here, who is deployed from the Pentagon. He said it makes this six-month deployment here seem shorter because it bridges the gap.

One 380th AEW Airman working as a deployed force protection specialist who doesn't want to be identified for personal reasons, also used VoIP at the Chapel to be there for his wife while she gave birth to their first child.

He said he volunteered for this deployment knowing he would miss the birth. "It was a hard decision because of our tight financial status we wanted to have a sorta 'nest for our egg,'" he said.

"As the time got closer it was harder and harder to be away from my wife and not be able to hold her hand during the hard times of pregnancy," he said, however VoIP was like virtual hand holding.

"I honestly thought her birth would go like this best case scenario -- phone call 'Hey honey I am in labor,' then a follow-up, 'It's a girl!'" he said.

Having VoIP was better than a phone call, said the Airman. "And my wife appreciated having me there, but the connection was poor and we were often disconnected.

"I was glad to have had any part of the experience, but nothing beats being there," he added.

"I am proud to be part of an Air Force that provides facilities for its Airmen to keep in touch with their family," said the Airman. "I can't begin to express my gratitude to the Chapel staff for making this possible."

"When Airmen are planning on conducting VoIP calls with each other during momentous occasions, such as weddings or births, we stand ready to help facilitate this with the latest technology. It is a real morale tool that keeps our Airmen's families connected," said Chaplain (Major) David Mansberger, 380th AEW Chaplain deployed from the 377th Air Base Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

"It's important that they do their homework to ensure the hospital or church or end user at home has permission to use VoIP in their facility, so that we can keep this wonderful opportunity available to our Airmen and Soldiers," said the chaplain.