TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan, April 3, 2012 – Few service members can say they served a deployment with their family, but Air Force Airman 1st Class Marita McCoy is one who can.McCoy is assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron traffic management office here and is deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Her father and stepmother are contract employees who live in Kyrgyzstan and work here.”This is my first deployment, and I was lucky enough to experience it with my father and stepmother,” McCoy said. “Who can say they deployed and their family was there with them? I am so grateful for this opportunity.”McCoy said her mission here is similar to that at her home station, but the experience is different.”At home, I was the shipment planner and had a lot more duties,” she said. “It’s a different experience here, but I enjoy it because I learn more about my job every day.”McCoy said she enjoys the convenience of being able to see her dad, who is a 376th Expeditionary Operations Group air traffic control instructor, and her stepmother, who works with the Defense Biometrics Identification Systems, part of 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here.”This deployment has been like a home away from home,” McCoy said. “Any time I need to talk to my family, they are an email or a call away. I also enjoy having lunch with them whenever they are available.”Read more here

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Airman 1st Class Marita McCoy, 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron traffic management office, holds a picture of her stepmother and father on the flightline at the Transit Center at Manas March 31, 2012. McCoy’s stepmother works with the Defense Biometrics Identification Systems, which is a part of the 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron here. Her father is a 376th Expeditionary Operations Group air traffic control instructor. This is McCoy’s first deployment. She is deployed here from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lynsie Nichols