MASF mission through a spouse's eyes

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Anastasia Wasem
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When Marcie Wheatley's husband told her Jan. 13 that he was preparing to leave for Haiti, she had no idea that he would not actually leave until Jan. 20 and with only ten minutes notice.

"It was initially hard on the kids because of the back and forth about when he was leaving," said Ms. Wheatley.

Ms. Wheatley's husband, Tech. Sgt. Ryan Wheatley, is the 6th Air Mobility Wing Education and Training noncommissioned officer in-charge. He deployed as part of the 6th AMW Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility in support of the relief effort in Haiti.

Although having her husband gone can be hard at times, Ms. Wheatley said that the support from the Air Force and especially the 6th AMW Medical Group, where she works as an administrative clerk, has been outstanding.

"They've been very supportive," said Ms. Wheatley. "It makes Ryan feel better knowing that there is a great support team back home."

With her husband gone, Ms. Wheatley takes care of their three children, a job usually split between two people, while also juggling a full-time job and being a key spouse for the base.

The hardest part about her husband leaving is not knowing when he will return. She said she's proud of her kids for being so understanding of the situation. The three children have been printing off newspaper articles from the internet and taping videos to take to school to show what there dad is doing.

"I'm proud of him, I'm 100 percent supportive," said Ms. Wheatley. "This is what he loves to do and this is what he was trained to do."