Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Miller | John W. Williams, Jr., center, laughs with his son, Sgt. John Willams III of 1st...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – For most parents with sons and daughters on deployment, phone calls and emails are the closest they get to experiencing life deployed with their soldier.
For Sgt. John Williams III, an infantryman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, a United Service Organizations concert has brought him together with his father, John Williams Jr., for a remarkable second time Nov. 1.
“Not everyone gets to see their family while they are deployed,” said Williams III. “It’s a special thing.”
Two years ago, Williams met his father, band manager for country star Trace Adkins, during a USO tour through Afghanistan.
When he found out that his father would be making a tour through Iraq, Williams started planning how to get to Contingency Operating Base Speicher from his base at Contingency Operating Site Cruz Morris.
“My chain of command was very supportive, and then I started working details on surprising my dad,” he said.
As the band and crew stepped off the plane, Williams walked toward his unsuspecting father, giving him the surprise he had hoped for.
“This is just a thrill that is hard to describe,” exclaimed the elder Williams. “These long deployments are hard on everyone, and just to get to see him here is unbelievable.”
In the music industry since the 1970s, Williams has toured the world, including several USO stops to deployment zones in support of the military. Being able to see the soldiers, including his son, in their element is a unique opportunity, he said.
“I admire his choices and admire what he does,” he remarked. “Last time we ran into each other was in Afghanistan.
You think you know how these guys are living over here, but until you see it with your own eyes and see how these men and women are living over here, it is hard to comprehend.”
Williams III, who is expecting his first child soon, said that a few years down the road he hopes to be able to see his child doing what he or she loves to do in life, much the same as his father is seeing him now.
“I feel so lucky to have seen him twice since I’ve been deployed,” Williams said of his father.
An opportunity not afforded to most parents, Williams spent the day experiencing deployment life with his son firsthand.
That night, Williams, Jr., and the rest of the band crew helped Trace Adkins put on a memorable show, bringing a little of that happiness to the rest of the Soldiers waiting to see home again.
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2010 08:02 |
| Story ID: | 60063 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, USO concert reunites Soldier’s Family, by SSG Shawn Miller, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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