Airmen make military service a family affair

Published Nov. 26, 2008
By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- It's not often that a father gets an opportunity to say his children have followed in his footsteps, but Master Sgt. Bobby Smith gets to say it twice. Sergeant Smith, a flying crew chief stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., has had the opportunity to travel the world and see everything from the battlegrounds of Desert Storm to the destitute seeking aid in Operation Provide Comfort. Now he can say he's seen his two sons, Christopher and Aaron, join him in military service in the same branch he's given 23 years of his life to.

Sergeant Smith's youngest son, Airman 1st Class Aaron Smith, recently had the opportunity to see his father while deployed at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Sergeant Smith was passing through on a distinguished visitor visit with Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, and they took a few hours to enjoy each other's company before he headed back home.

Sergeant Smith said it felt good to spend the time with his son in the most unlikely of places. Now that both of his children are in the Air Force, he admitted the family rarely gets the opportunity to get together anymore. It's something he understands and takes part of the credit for, with his own job taking him away from home often while he flies around the world with secretary of states, congressmen and senators.

As for his sons' decision to join the Air Force, Sergeant Smith won't take any of the credit for it. He admitted he had nothing to do with it.

"I never pushed them," Sergeant Smith said. "They'd ask and I would tell them what some of the good points were and some of the bad points, and let them make their own decision."

Sergeant Smith said he thought they chose well, and many of their thought processes and decisions mirrored his own that he made over two decades ago. After school, Sergeant Smith yearned for an opportunity to leave his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., to see what the world had to offer.

Airman Smith also found himself in a similar situation.

"I was right out of high school, working small jobs," said Airman Smith, who has lived much of his life at Andrews AFB. "I had always said I wasn't coming to come in. One day I was near a recruiter's office and I walked in, and it just started from there."

Like his father, Airman Smith wanted to do something different and travel. Growing up, his father had told them of some of the benefits of military service, such as the education benefits, the financial stability and other things about the military lifestyle. During those formative years, he also told them of his thoughts of the idea of military service, something his father had also participated in, and something he had seen a lot growing up.

"I lived half of my life in Europe, where it's mandatory for males over 18 to serve," Sergeant Smith said. "I grew up with the understanding that freedom is not free. I lived in Berlin [Germany], when the wall was still up. And so my mindset was you should pay for your freedom somehow. This is how we do it, with military service."

Although he is the younger sibling, Airman Smith decided to make the leap first. Mechanically inclined like his father, he entered the maintenance field to pursue his interest in fixing up electronics, and is now stationed at Dyess AFB, Texas. His older brother, Christopher, liked to work on cars, and entered the Air Force sometime later as a vehicle maintainer. He is stationed at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

With the similarity they've found in their daily professions, the Smith family has found that the smaller things have changed between them somewhat. Like their conversations on the phone.

"You find you have a lot more in common to talk about," said Sergeant Smith. "It brings you closer. You share those experiences, and they can learn from what I've done."

Sergeant Smith finds himself dispensing advice a lot these days. Like any good father, he wants his sons to succeed in their goals, so he gives them information on things to focus on during their enlistments to get where they want to be.

His son, Aaron, has big plans. He wants to finish his bachelor's degree as quickly as possible and get commissioned. He's also highly interested in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program, and would ultimately like to end up piloting the aircraft.

But for now, he likes what he's doing. His deployment to the 386th AEW is an introduction to the military lifestyle, to the travel and work in foreign locations that has become a part of time in the service.

It makes him feel as if he's doing something bigger than himself, one of the reasons he made the decision to come in. And it makes his father proud.

Even without both of his sons joining the Air Force, Sergeant Smith would have been fine with whatever they wanted to do. But seeing them make the choice to serve for themselves makes it all that much sweeter for him.

"I'm very proud they did it," Sergeant Smith said. "Our family goes back six generations of military service. So, it's in the blood."