Mother's sacrifice holds family together Published June 23, 2010 By Senior Airman Steve Bauer 30th Space Wing Public Affairs VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force named July 2009 through July 2010 the Year of the Air Force Family. This initiative has provided leadership (at all levels) with a vehicle to communicate information to Airmen, family members, Department of Defense audiences and surrounding communities about various programs offered by the Air Force in support of the military family. I thought this was a great idea. Families should be recognized for all of the sacrifices they make on a daily basis in support of their servicemembers and, ultimately, our country. The Year of the Air Force Family does just that, it highlights the importance of military families and focuses on fostering more programs and services geared toward lending a hand to our deserving families. Now I may be a little biased, considering I was born into an Air Force family. From day one, the Air Force has played a large role in my life as well as the lives of my family members. My father served 20 years on active duty and ended his career as a Professor and PhD program director of Operational Sciences at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Today, he holds the same position as a civil servant; the only change is that, these days, he arrives to his office in civilian clothes. Throughout my father's career, he has had to change stations, go on temporary duty assignments and work long hours and weekends, a typical military career. Yes, our servicemembers have to make a lot of sacrifices for our country throughout their military careers, but those sacrifices that are made also affect those that are the closest to them - their families. In my situation, my mother, Cindy Bauer, was the glue that kept my family together. The Air Force provided us with a stable income, housing, medical insurance and a plethora of additional benefits all courtesy of United States Government. However, my family was held intact by a loving mother who was devoted to her marriage and two children. Just as my father made a sacrifice for the greater good of the country, so did my mother by her support. I remember as a young child my mother's steadfast dedication to the family. She was attending college courses in pursuit of becoming a dental hygienist. I faintly remember hearing my mother pick up the telephone in another room, as well as the explosion of commotion that followed. A few minutes later, she came to tell my brother and I about the "A" she earned in one of her more difficult college courses. She was an excellent student, at the very top of her class, on her way to reaching her goal and it seemed there was no academic discipline she couldn't master with her persistent work ethic. Years passed from this moment and I had become wise enough to understand why people decide to go back to school (after high school) when they did not necessarily have to, so I began to ask questions. That's when my father told me the reason why my mother was at home and not out cleaning people's teeth as a profession. He told me about an extremely emotional conversation he had with my mother upon picking her up from class on day. She told him that she felt school (leading to a career) would take too much time away from her family, so much so she felt like she'd be abandoning her children. He told her he would support any decision she made and the family would simply adapt to the situation. She made her decision and I don't think she ever looked back. And that is how I learned my mother ultimately made a sacrifice for her family by choosing the family over her own interest in a professional career. Withdrawing herself from school was a significant and selfless act. There were times my father was pulled away from the family on temporary duty assignments, which left my mother in charge of two, well at least one, out of control child. Figuratively speaking, during these times, my mother was forced to wear many hats. She had to give up some of her daily routines just to keep her two eyes on my brother and me. I still cannot fathom how she was able to manage two little hooligans, who had to be at school at separate times, had sports practices and had to behave in church - mother's orders. This is not a commentary about mothers going back to school. As my father said, "We'll make it work either way." It is merely an example of the dedication and sacrifices that are the daily hallmarks of the military family. Granted in any family, it takes a combination of everyone's efforts to contribute to the overall welfare of its members, but in my mother's case, she was strong enough to hold us all together, which allowed my father to continue serving in the military. I applaud the Year of the Air Force Family initiative. Over this past year, I found myself thinking more about the importance of a family, my family, and I can attribute much of this to reading "Year of the Air Force Family" commentaries, news articles and promotions for family specific programs. Although it is easy to get lost in work and the whirlwind of life, I believe it is important to recognize priorities - family being the highest on my list. Again, many thanks to an Air Force initiative designed to support families like mine and people like my mother, who have had to make sacrifices to ensure the well-being of their own military families.