Reserve Airmen, families learn to alleviate pre-, post-deployment stress with laughter

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Anna-Marie Wyant
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
MARCO ISLAND, Fla. --  Nearly 375 Reserve Airmen and family members laughed, smiled and participated in interactive activities together during the Air Force Reserve Command's South Region Yellow Ribbon Program Aug. 19-21 in Marco Island, Fla. Attendees included pre- and post- deployers from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.; Dobbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; and Homestead Air Reserve Base, Duke Field, MacDill and Patrick Air Force Bases, all in Florida.

Yellow Ribbon brings Reservists of all ranks and families together from multiple bases and offers them opportunities to learn about benefits and resources available before and after deployments. With several tailored sessions on everything from stress management techniques to how to get a federal job, and representatives from Military One Source, Veterans Affairs, local colleges and many others, attendees were able to get myriad information for deployments and beyond.

The event's keynote speaker, Chip Lutz, a retired Naval officer, gave his insight on how to cope with deployments and the stress they cause: laugh. He used examples from his own life--which he admitted can seem very stressful at times--to show how the power of laughter helped him overcome stressful situations. Lutz said he became a single parent for the first time when his wife, who was also in the Navy, deployed; he was left to raise their four children alone for several months.

He said at first he was an absolute wreck without her--he couldn't eat, sleep or even think straight. He said he remained like that until he went to the movies one day by himself, watched a comedy, and had several good, hearty laughs. After that, his attitude changed.

"If we can find that little bit of humor, that little bit of laughter in our lives, we're probably going to be better team players, and we're going to be more productive and creative," Lutz told the audience.

Lutz said laughing and thinking positively allows people to be more resilient, and setting small, short-term goals can help people get through tough times. In addition, having something to be thankful for--something as simple as a good cup of coffee--is sometimes all it takes to get through a stressful situation. To put things into perspective for him during hard times, he often looks at a note his youngest daughter wrote for him.

"It reads, 'From Abbey, to Dad, celebrate Dad, I love you Dad.' I kept this folded up in my wallet for the last 10 years, and on those days when it's crappy, and things are tough and I'm having trouble finding something to be thankful for, I pull this out and I read it. And in that moment, I'm thankful," he said.

He emphasized that while deployments are a serious matter, Airmen and their families can still find something to laugh and smile about.

"We face a lot of serious situations; it doesn't always mean we need to take ourselves seriously in the process," Lutz said. "If we can find the lighter side of ourselves, if we can laugh first, we own (the situation); it doesn't own us.

"When we're kids, we laugh on average four hundred times a day... When we get to be adults that goes down to fifteen to seventeen times a day... Somewhere along the line, we lost those three hundred eighty-five laughs!"

Staff Sgt. Kyle Steady, a KC-135 Stratotanker crew chief for the 927th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill, said Lutz's humorous presentation, which involved short, interactive activities for the audience, was well-received.

"His energy is contagious," Steady said. "It's a huge benefit to be able to think outside the box and laugh through a problem."

Steady, who returned from a deployment to Turkey in July, said this was his third time at Yellow Ribbon. He recommends the program not just for pre- and post-deployment Reservists, but also their families because of the wealth of information shared.

"My first time (at Yellow Ribbon) was a bit overwhelming," said Steady, who brought his wife and two children to the event. "There was just so much information. The second time was good, and this time had more good information for both my wife and me."

While some Reservists like Steady have attended the program multiple times before or after deployments, this was the first Yellow Ribbon for Capt. Jacie Smith, who will be a first-time deployer. Smith, the commander of the 916th Air Refueling Wing's Force Support Flight at Seymour Johnson, brought her parents with her to Yellow Ribbon so they could all learn what to expect together. She said it was also great for networking.

"I was able to meet some people who were deployed to where I'm going, which gave me some great insight," Smith said. "It helped my family to have a better idea (of what to expect) as well."

Instead of the infamous 'death-by-PowerPoint' presentations used at some conferences, Yellow Ribbon encourages interactive sessions. Smith said she appreciated Lutz's energy and ability to actively engage the crowd.

"It's good to have a very interactive type of presenter," she said. "He (Lutz) gave a different perspective on how to deal with stress. His ideas were outside the box... He gave me ideas on how to deal with my family, and how they can deal with me during my deployment."

She said she could see herself using his humor tactics before, during, and after deployment.

"Chip Lutz always gets wonderful reviews," said Master Sgt. Kim Sisco, the AFRC Yellow Ribbon Program South Region manager. "We love having him speak at our events."

Sisco said it takes a team of dedicated Yellow Ribbon wing planners, wing staff, leadership and other military and community resource supporters to ensure an event like this runs smoothly. She said this was the South Region's largest event this year.

The Yellow Ribbon Program was initiated by the Secretary of Defense and mandated by Congress in 2008 to provide information, services, referral and proactive outreach programs to Reservists and Guardsmen and their dependents through all phases of deployment cycles. The program's goals are to prepare service members and their families for mobilization, sustain families during mobilization, and reintegrate service members with their families and communities upon return from deployment.