Golden Eagles rev up for deployment
Hawai'i Navy News
12/6/2002
JO2 Phil Hasenkamp Pacific Fleet Public Affairs
Family and friends said goodbye to officers and Sailors of Patrol Squadron Nine (VP 9), stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, Nov. 29 as they began a six-month deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
So how does a patrol squadron prepare to go on deployment? VP-9 has it's own formula: answer questions.
"We think pre-deployment briefings are critical to readiness," said VP-9 Executive Officer Cmdr. Dan Rieck said. "We're going to be a long way from home, and we can't expect our troops to focus on what they're doing mission-wise, if they're not sure everyone's being taken care of here at home."
The idea of a pre-deployment briefing isn't a novel concept. The Navy has held pre-deployment briefings of some type for a very long time. In fact, many of the things covered in VP-9's session have been passed down from years and years of experience.
"There are general written guidelines as to what should be covered, but most of the stuff is passed down from squadron to squadron," Rieck said. "But the most important thing is to make sure that everyone has their questions answered. And if they don't get their questions answered, we want them to know where they can go to get answers later," he added.
Questions during the briefings can vary. But the queries are usually specific in nature, as great care is taken to cover as many topics as possible.
"People usually ask how they can keep good communications or what they can do in the case of a specific medical emergency," Rieck said.
But when Sailors go on deployment, they leave behind more than teary-eyed loved ones. Many of them have significant investments, such as cars or boats, for which they'll want peace of mind while they're away.
"Power of attorney is a big thing. We want to know about everything it incorporates," Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Erik Grant said as he clutched the hand of his wife Angela. "I want to make sure she can do stuff with our property when I'm gone because it will be difficult for me to sign papers when I'm out of the country," he added.
Mrs. Grant had different concerns.
"I'm just hoping everything will be okay emotionally. It will be hard, but we're a pretty close family," she said, adding that while on deployment her husband will miss Christmas, Valentines Day, the couple's anniversary and the birthday of their two-and-a-half year-old son, Peyton. "He's going to be gone for all of the special things."
But "deployment" these days has an altered definition in the year 2002 for P-3 aviators.
"On my first deployment, years ago, we had the opportunity for a phone call back home once a month to a loved one," commanding officer of VP-9, Cmdr. Brad Carpenter said. "Nowadays we have video connections, email and almost instantaneous communications.
The ability of families to communicate during a deployment has grown by leaps and bounds."
But upgrades in communication between VP-9's Sailors and their families didn't arise out of a wont of luxury. These improvements came from necessity.
"Communication before, during and after the deployment is critical to make sure the family is doing well during that time," Carpenter said. "If people aren't comfortable and there are problems back home that the service member is worrying about, that reduces their ability to do their job on deployment."
Numerous battle efficiency awards have proven that VP-9 can handle almost anything thrown its way.
"We'd probably make it without these briefings, but there'd be a lot more pain," Carpenter said. "But with these briefs, we help mitigate a lot of extra challenges and enable ourselves to focus on our missions. Plus, we want to be sure our families feel safe, secure and comfortable."
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