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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hilltop 8 TIMES April 3, 2014 Father from Hill AFB reunites with son in Afghanistan BY TECH. SGT. JASON ROBERTSON U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs BAGRAM, Afghanistan — After two years apart, a deployed father from Hill Air Force Base and his son were reunited at a re-enlistment ceremony in Afghanistan. The last time U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Carmelo Vega Martinez saw his son, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jean Vega Martinez, was more than two years ago when the junior NCO was passing through Texas on his way to retrain as a MH-60 Pavehawk helicopter flight engineer. "I never thought this would happen," said the proud father, a 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/ NATO Air 'fairing CommandAfghanistan recruiting adviser. "It's extremely strange for a recruiter to deploy." The senior Vega Martinez has spent 19 years of his 24-year career in Air Force recruiting. His home station is the 368th Recruiting Squadron here at Hill. While deployed in Afghanistan he's advising the Afghan Air Force on establishing and sustaining a recruiting service of their own. "He's been a recruiter for most of his career; the last place I thought I'd see my dad is Afghanistan," said Jean Vega Martinez, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron flight engineer. "I don't think many people get to see their father down range." Jean Vega Martinez' unit is the only Defense Department combat force specifically organized, trained, equipped and postured to conduct fullspectrum personnel recovery to include conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations in the combat zone. Nicknamed the `Pedros', the squadron is credited with more than 5,000 lives saved since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring TECH. SGT. JASON ROBERTSON/U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jean Vega Martinez, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron flight engineer and his father, U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Carmelo Vega Martinez, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan recruiting advisor, pose in front of an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter after Staff Sgt. Vega Martinez' reenlistment ceremony, March 17 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Prior to the ceremony, father and son, both Ponce, Puerto Rico natives, hadn't seen each other in two years due to military commitments. The two are deployed at separate Operation Enduring Freedom bases, 40 miles across the combat zone. Freedom. The squadron has saved 44 lives and transferred 87 injured to a higher level of care since Aug. 1. A reenlistment is an honored tradition in every branch of the U.S. military. It serves as a visible, public celebration as an enlisted member reaffirms and extends their commitment in the Armed Forces of the United States. "I felt very honored to preside over the re-enlistment," said Capt. Adam Gram, 83rd ERQS pilot. "In our community we're a family; and to be able to "I never thought this would happen. It's extremely strange for a recruiter to deploy" — Senior Master Sgt. Carmelo Vega Martinez incorporate his father into the reenlistment adds more fidelity to the feeling of family and brotherhood that this unit lives on." "I'm very proud of him," said Carmelo Vega Martinez. "We're an Air Force family; I'm so glad to see my son grow in his Air Force career." Being an Air Force family often creates friendly rivalry between the two Ponce, Puerto Rico natives. "I tell the guys around me I have to make senior or chief before him," said Jean Vega Martinez, deployed from the 41st Rescue Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga. "We always call each other every year to see what we scored on the physical fitness test; it's a competition. It's because he's in an older bracket, that's all," said the newly-reenlisted flight engineer, explaining how his father scores higher marks on the fitness test. Father and son spent a few hours together catching up and joking throughout the day, before the senior master sergeant said goodbye to his son and departed Bagram Airfield for Kabul International Airport. The two are deployed at separate bases, 40 miles across the combat zone. Sesame Street friends help military children move Air Force News Service JOINT BASE LEWISMCCHORD, Wash. — Children in military families move six to nine times between kindergarten and high school. A mobile app launched in December aims to help them cope with leaving a familiar place for the unknown. The Big Moving Adventure app lets children create a Muppet friend to help them through the moving process. Developed for the Defense Department in partnership with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the mobile app is available for download from the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for Kindle Fire. "Moving can be stressful, and kids need to express feelings and say goodbye to people and into the home and make new friends. "Sesame Workshop has always been at the forefront of creating resources for families with young children to help address some of life's most difficult issues," said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, the senior vice president for Community things," said Dr. Kelly Blasko, a psychologist at the National Center for Telehealth and Technology here. "The Muppet characters in this app help make the move a fun experience." Children can use the app to help their Muppet friend make decisions on a variety of move-related issues, such as which toys to pack in a box and which to take along in their backpack. Children watch the Muppet say goodbye to their house, their military base and their classroom and playground friends. At the new house, children help their Muppet unpack, settle and Family Engagement at Sesame Workshop. "The Big Moving Adventure is part of Sesame Workshop's contribution to military families, who face the challenge of helping a child cope with this major transition and help our kids reach their highest potential." Military parents face unique challenges during a move, and the app helps their young children through the experience. A separate parents section contains additional moverelated topics and tips. The Big Moving Adventure mobile app is the newest addition to a portfolio of multimedia resources developed by Sesame Workshop, in collaboration with the Defense Department, to help military families with deployments and life transitions. While developed specifically for military families with children 3 to 5 years old, it is useful Download the mobile app at: • App Store • Google Play • Amazon for Kindle Fire for all families with young children experiencing a move, officials said. 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