In it together
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on December 17, 2014 1:46 PM
News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Brooklyn Kirby, 3, shows her mother, Heather, her Christmas stocking creation at the Hearts Apart Holiday Dinner at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base on Tuesday evening.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Damien Castro, 6, licks his lips upon seeing a chocolate cake on the food line. The boy did not seem all that interested in the other food, but his mother, Heather, made him get a balanced meal.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Amber Mursch, 7, smiles after receiving her meal at the Hearts Apart Holiday Dinner.
Inside the Spitfire on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Damien Castro practices his spy tactics.
He sprints and jumps into the air.
He peeks around a corner.
The game? Recon.
But when he, at last, acquired his target, his mother, Tina, stepped in.
Despite his desire, the chocolate cake would not be the only thing making its way onto the little boy's plate.
Tina and Damien were among those who attended the base's annual "Hearts Apart Holiday Dinner" -- an event that caters to family members of deployed airmen.
"It's nice to get out of the house," Tina said, adding that her husband is only halfway through a six-month deployment. "(Damien) loves the dinners. There are kids to play with here."
4th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Mark Slocum knows how difficult a deployment can make life for those left behind.
So he initiated the monthly Hearts Apart dinner to give the families support.
"We invite all the deployed families," said Master Sgt. Edward McBride, the organizer of Tuesday's event. "It allows them to socialize with other people in the same situation."
The dinners take place the third Tuesday of each month.
And each has a theme.
Tuesday was a holiday celebration.
Beyond the chocolate cake Damien was eyeing, Santa's Workshop gave children a chance to pick out and wrap a gift for their family members, while the big man himself arrived to give them presents of their own.
"It's nice to see happy families," McBride said.
In an effort to ensure the deployed families feel connected to the base, McBride, Key Spouses and Veterans on Call reach out to them, letting them know about events and offering support.
"We don't want anybody to feel left out," McBride said.
Crystal Earll, a member of the Key Spouses, brought her children to the event.
Her job is to reach out to people with deployed spouses.
"I keep in contact with those deployed," she said. "We want to make sure the spouses are taken care of."
Mick O'Donnell, creator of Veterans on Call, manned a table at the event on Tuesday.
His organization offers support and help to the families on base.
"Anything that needs done, we'll do," he said. "We're doing something that everyone in Air Combat Command can do. I can see this program going Air Force-wide someday."
Local churches donate food for the Hearts Apart dinners.
Crafts, movies and a bouncy castle entertain the children to give adults time to socialize.
Isabella Church loves the craft tables.
"It's one night of the month where you know people relate," Katie Church said. "We try to get out of the house."
Her husband, Robert, came home from his deployment over the Thanksgiving holiday, but has returned to his duty station.
"It's hard," Katie said.
But, being surrounded by friends at events like the Hearts Apart dinner helps, she said.