Walthall County natives serving in Afghanistan

Published July 5, 2008

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- For two Walthall County natives, being a country mile away from home is indeed in another country -- approximately 6,000 miles away in Southwest Asia.

Master Sergeant Loretta Martin, director of Equal Opportunity, and Tech. Sergeant Daren Dykes, NCO-in-Charge of Manpower Management, are members of the U.S. Air Force deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Both are stationed at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan and assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.

What makes these two Airmen special is they proudly call Jayess and Tylertown their hometowns. Loretta Deniece Martin is the daughter of Missionary Willie Faye and the late Alphonso Martin and granddaughter to the late Eddie and Jessie Lee Wilson; Charlie and Callie Martin of Jayess.

Martin is a 1981 graduate of Salem High School who attended Alcorn and University of Southern Mississippi, but graduated from Faulkner and Troy Universities in Montgomery, Ala., with a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management and Master's in Public Administration. She is currently assigned to Andrews AFB, Maryland, located seven miles from Washington, D.C., and home of Air Force One, the plane for the President of the United States. She was married to B. Wayne Jefferson; they have a daughter Leslie Jefferson who's a junior at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Technical Sergeant Daren Dwayne Dykes is the son of Lynwood and Eleanor Dykes. He is the grandson of the late C. B. and Bertha Dykes. He is a 1985 graduate of Walthall Academy and attended Southwest Mississippi Community College, USM, and graduated from Park University with a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management. He is currently stationed at Tyndall AFB, Fla., near Panama City. His spouse is Donna Dykes from Tallassee, Ala., and they have one son, Davis Andrew Dykes.

"I was very excited to learn Sergeant Dykes was not only from Mississippi, but from Tylertown," said Martin, who arrived at Bagram a couple of months prior to Dykes. "My parents and grandparents bought fuel and products from the Dykes' family owned Gas & Service Station and my younger sister Michelle once worked for Mrs. Dykes in the County Tax Assessors office. Having Dykes here gives me a sense of "home" and keeps things in perspective as to why we serve."

"It's great we can talk about similar events, locations, and people in our hometowns which bring back memories of growing up," said Dykes.

The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, headquartered at Bagram Air Field, is comprised of about 3,500 Airmen, based throughout Afghanistan combating terrorism and helping build a better future for Afghans. The wing's primary mission is to support the Global War on Terror by providing aerial support for U.S. and Coalition forces on the ground in Operation Enduring Freedom.

The wing consists of six primary groups - the Expeditionary Operations Group, Expeditionary Mission Support Group, Expeditionary Maintenance Group, Expeditionary Medical Group, 755th Air Expeditionary Group and 451st Air Expeditionary Group based out of Kandahar.

Bagram Airfield is located in eastern Afghanistan approximately 25 miles north of the nation's capital of Kabul. The installation is surrounded by the Hindu Kush Mountains and sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The airfield was originally constructed in the 1950s by the Soviet Union and served as the Soviets main air base during the Soviet-Afghan War. Bagram was later the scene of fierce fighting between the Northern Alliance and Taliban. American forces began operating from Bagram Airfield in late 2001.

The 455th AEW is the only Air Force wing in Afghanistan and has members deployed throughout the country supporting Coalition and NATO operations. The wing is co-located with the Army Combined Joint Task Force-101, whose mission is to conduct a full spectrum of operations to develop Afghan capability to secure its people, exercise capable governance, and develop a sustainable economy while defeating terrorists and insurgents.

These two people from the same county have traveled more than a country mile from home to Afghanistan to make a difference.

Both would like to say, "Thanks for the support and most of all prayers!"