Photo By Michael Maddox | Mary “Edie” and Dale Whittington, both from the Mississippi Valley Division, have...... read more read more
Asheville, North Carolina – Serving as a disaster responder can be a tough job – working seven days a week, 12-hour days, to help a community recover – all while having to be away from family. Sometimes if they are lucky, they may get to serve with friends or family though.
This was the case for Mary “Edie” and Dale Whittington, both from the Mississippi Valley Division. This mother and son have been able to share their experience here with one another, sometimes working in the same areas, and getting to spend time together in the evenings as well.
Edie, data management assistant in the Recovery Field Office, was originally scheduled to deploy by herself, but that changed aft some family discussion.
“When we were talking about doing this, I was the one that was going to go. I got the approval and everything, and his wife told him, “Well your mama’s going, you might as well go too.” He said, “Okay, so he went down and signed the papers, and then she was like, “I didn't know if I really meant that or not.”,” Edie shared with a smile.
The two have also been next door neighbors, which has helped them spend time together in the evenings after the long 12-hour days.
“We’re staying in the same hotel. We're next door to one another, we didn't plan that or anything, but we go to dinner, we'll go to grocery store, you know, whatever together,” she said.
Edie, who is the administrative officer for the Mississippi River Commission with the Mississippi Valley Division, said she and Dale have enjoyed their deployment enough that they extended for two extra weeks, but she’s ready to be reunited with her family back home.
“This was our first one, and then we got out here and we were working and doing stuff, so I said, “Well, we're here., let’s go for two more weeks and see, so he extended too,” she shared. “But we're both ready to go home now. My husband is at home, and I have two granddaughters, eight and five, and the littlest one told me the other night, she was never going to let me go again. So, you know, when that happens, you got to go home.”
This was also Dale’s first deployment. He has been working as a Quality Assurance Supervisor. He works as an Emergency Management specialist for the Mississippi Valley Division when not deployed.
Dale said he thinks that extra time with a family member who is also working the mission made completing the mission more enjoyable.
“Me and mom would spend two or three nights a week going out to eat, just kind of discussing what was going on in the office, what was going on in the field, and that was something nice that a lot of people don’t get to have if they come on deployment. They don't have anybody else. It was definitely nice to have somebody there if you needed something,” he said.
“I know a lot of people that come out here and they don't have anybody if something were to happen or they're kind of on their own,” he added. “So, it was nice to know that if I needed something or if something were to happen, I did have somebody here with me that could have helped me out.”
Edie agreed.
“It's made it better, because I think I didn't get as homesick with having somebody from the family here with me, you know, because I know he's just next door or I can call him on the phone. When we’re working, he's just down the road,” she said. “I've had other people to tell me that it’s really neat that you’re able to go and work with your child like that, because that doesn't happen very often.”
Dale said he is glad that he’s been able to have this experience working on the Hurricane Helene mission, but it may be a little while before he is ready for the next deployment.
“Honestly, it was a learning experience. Even though this is my first deployment, I think I would go on another one. I will say in the future, I think 30 days would be enough,” he said. “Of course it’s been a little hard on our family’s, but I will say that they definitely supported every bit of it. They've been great.”
“I'm ready to go home. I mean, I enjoyed my time here, but, like I said, I'm ready to go home, ready to see my family, and be I’d happy to come back again at some point,” he added.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2025 14:45 |
| Story ID: | 542135 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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