Members of the 114th FSS volunteer to deploy

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luke Olson
  • 114th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Tech. Sgt. Ed Johnson and Senior Airman Amber Spade, 114th Force Support Squadron services specialists, departed Joe Foss Field to deploy to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Inherent Resolve 2, July 21, 2015.

A request for relief from the National Guard Bureau was sent to Guard bases throughout the country and the 114th FSS personnel have responded and will provide support to Operation Inherent Resolve 2 at an undisclosed location.  The two will work in the dining facility, control rations, distribute water, and oversee storage on the base.

"When I first enlisted in March of 2013 I expressed my desire to deploy as soon as possible," said Spade, native of Dell Rapids. "This opportunity came up and I jumped on it because the whole reason why I enlisted was to serve our country."

Spade expressed her excitement and nervousness for the experience but is thankful Johnson, native of Lake Benton, Minn. who will be on his 4th deployment, is going to accompany her.  Johnson has been in the Air National Guard for more than 10 years.

The two have went through a series of three pre-deployment briefings spanning from the initial notification until the morning of departure. Briefings were provided by representatives of Family Readiness, Logistics Readiness, Intel, Medical, Travel Management Office, and the Yellow Ribbon program.

The National Guard is no longer a strategic reserve, but an operational force fully integrated into overseas deployments and missions--whose members are ready to leave the comforts of home to bring peace and freedom to people throughout the world.

If you are interested in participating in deployments of this sort in your chosen career field, your first step is to share that interest with your supervisor.  They can help you seek out opportunities to volunteer and work with the 114th FSS Installation Personnel Readiness specialist to make it happen.