KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Going on a deployment can have its challenges, especially for reservists who are away for months at a time and still have a family, civilian career and other obligations at home. For some, coming back to their responsibilities can be the hardest part.
“I was having issues getting back reintegrated with everything,” said Master Sgt. Sierra Davis, the Yellow Ribbon Program representative with the 403 Wing who previously worked in the 403rd Security Forces Squadron commander support staff. “You knew what you were going to do when you were deployed. Everything is very structured. When you get back, you don’t have that anymore.”
Davis returned home from a deployment to Southwest Asia in 2015. The thought of her returning home flooded her mind with some of the same challenges Airmen face daily the moment they take off their uniform and put their civilian hat back on after being away for so long.
“I had to look for a job; I had to do this with the kid, the spouse – cook and clean,” said Davis. “I know it sounds like small tasks, but it becomes overwhelming for someone who has been deployed and living a structured life.”
For Davis and those like her, the Yellow Ribbon Program provides them the tools to overcome those challenges. The program is a reintegration program for pre- and post-deployment military reservists. The program helps members in any way it can by providing counseling, education and health benefits, said Davis.
Service members and their families are provided paid travel to a two-day seminar on a weekend where they attend breakout sessions on subjects related to their situations and needs.
Tech. Sgt. Crystal Jones, with the 403rd Wing Airman and Family Readiness Center, attended one of the seminars with her son and nephew after coming back from a six-month deployment. Jones said the sessions helped her family by allowing her children to understand her challenges, while also getting her to notice theirs.
“They understood why I was super tired or kind of withdrawn because I was still trying to get back into reality and adapting to being back home,” said Jones.
Jones said it was also an awesome experience being at the event with other military members like hers, and that it was good being around others who could understand and relate to how she felt inside without having to explain what she was going through.
The Yellow Ribbon Program is scheduled to have upcoming sessions in a July in Baltimore, Maryland, and in August in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said Davis. The sessions include information on federal resume writing, exploring stress and trauma, couples enrichment and credit and budgeting. For more information on the program and sessions, wing members can contact Davis at 228-377-2695 or 228-365-1400.