Friday, May 2, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.
As airmen continue to return to Las Vegas after being deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the tarmac on the Nellis Air Force Base flight line has become a place where hugs and kisses between family members are as common as F-15s.
While the reunions are sweet, they can turn sour if families aren't ready to make adjustments to changes, experts said.
"There are always changes that happen," said Maj. Vic Toney, Nellis' senior Protestant chaplain. "The family has learned to keep going without the deployed member, and there is always the possibility of friction after they are reunited."
That friction generally doesn't show on the tarmac, where airmen rush to grab their wives up in a hug as if they're in a romantic movie. It's usually a couple weeks later when friction can occur, said Susan Robinson, director of the Nellis Family Support Center.
"After that emotion wears off , you have someone who has been in a strictly military environment who has to find a place in a family unit that has accepted new responsibilities," Robinson said. "The returning airman is expecting to be treated as a hero, and the family wants to be appreciated for what they've accomplished at home."
A total of about 150 airmen with the 66th Rescue Squadron, the 58th Rescue Squadron and the 757th Maintenance Squadron are expected to be back in Las Vegas by Saturday night.
About 40 returned to Las Vegas on commercial flights to McCarran International Airport this week, and another 40 arrived Thursday at Nellis on C-17 Globemasters. Today and Saturday another 70 airmen are expected at Nellis aboard three C-5 Galaxies.
The airmen were ordered to southwest Asia in early January, as part of Nellis' helicopter rescue squadron. The group deployed to a classified base and slowly moved forward into Iraq with U.S. forces. Their ultimate destination was Baghdad.
All of the airmen met with representatives of the Family Support Center before deploying so that they could be told about the various services the center offers and the changes they would face when they return
The changes started the moment the airmen stepped off the C-17s Thursday. They were greeted by television cameras and reporters as well as their families.
"When I was deployed, it took me two weeks before I didn't feel out of place," said Toney, who has been deployed several times during his 14 years with the Air Force. "I had been sent to an austere desert environment, and when I returned to the states my senses were assaulted."
Senior Airman Patrick Martin arrived home Wednesday at McCarran and said he quickly fell into his old rhythms when he saw the airport.
"I saw the ads and the music and the people and knew I was home," Martin said. "It was great."
Once the excitement of returning dissipates, it does take a while to get back to a regular routine at home, Robinson said.
"We try to provide information so that they know what to expect, because it can be a little overwhelming," Robinson said of the center, which can assist in finding counseling for families that feel they need it.
The helicopter rescue group is one of the most deployed units at Nellis, so most of the returning airmen have been deployed before, and that makes the transition back to their lives easier.
"For the most part, they know what to expect," Robinson said. "It's really scary for the ones that haven't been through it before."
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