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Airman receives welcome home from friends, family and passersby

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chase Hedrick
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  A lone Airman dressed in his battle uniform with a military green duffle bag steps off a plane at a United States terminal. His eyes scan the crowd of people for familiar faces, and he lights up when he sees the flags and welcome signs being held up by the family he hasn't seen in so long.

That may be the image some people see when they think of a member of the armed forces returning from a deployment, but for some people at the terminal of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, seeing a return firsthand had a deeper impact.

Staff Sgt. Tim Martinez, 14th Operations Support Squadron weather forcaster, returned to Columbus Air Force Base July 7 from a deployment to Iraq. To welcome him home at the airport were his wife, his 6-month-old son and a group of people from Columbus AFB.

Among the group was the 14th OSS commander, Lt. Col. Alexander Walford, who said the homecoming was different from most, partially due to a packed terminal from a late outbound plane.

"Emotions ran high when Tim got off the plane and was greeted by his wife Melissa and his 6-month-old son who was only weeks old when he deployed back in December," Colonel Walford said "Emotions ran high not only with the Martinez family and the 14th OSS Scream'n Eagles, but with random people whose only connection to our squadron and our base was with family members who also served or are currently serving our country."

Colonel Walford said that some of those people even shed tears and asked for pictures with Sergeant Martinez. The crowd included Mississippi State University football coach Rick Stansbury. But even those who didn't have the connection of a family member who served were affected by the return.

"I think it puts it into perspective and it really touches home to see a guy at your local terminal get greeted by his wife and son who was only a couple weeks old when he left. I think it really hits that nerve," Colonel Walford said.

The local community is so close to the military that to some, deploying a service member can be like deploying a son, Colonel Walford said. He also said that the support from this close community is refreshing.

"It makes me want to come to work in the morning," he said.