PAYNESVILLE, Liberia – When Lt. Col. Robert Kimmel and his wife, Beth Kimmel, began the adoption process more than a year ago, they expected to welcome a new daughter into their family together. And when he was recently promoted, Kimmel originally thought he would celebrate with his tight-knit family. Instead, Kimmel is separated from his family during these personal and professional milestones because he is deployed in support of Operation United Assistance in Liberia. But it’s a sacrifice he is glad to make.
The adoption will be finalized in China in the next week and Beth Kimmel will be leaving to pick up their new daughter, Lydia, without her husband.
“These last few weeks of the adoption process have been the most stressful so far. There is a lot of work to do to prepare for the trip, and trying to get it all done by myself is a challenge at times,” said Beth Kimmel. “I hate that Rob will not be able to meet Lydia when I do.”
Robert Kimmel, a native of Snyder, Texas, said it is difficult to be away from his wife and two sons during this time. This is his fourth deployment. Missing birthdays and holidays have become commonplace in his household, but these are especially big milestones.
“It’s just like having a child. We are expecting a child,” he said. “Although she’s not a new born, she is new to us and it’s just as exciting.”
Lydia will be home with Beth Kimmel in Texas almost two months before Robert Kimmel is scheduled to reunite with his family. He said the 2-year-old will essentially have two adjustment periods.
“We always pictured the whole big welcome home with big hugs and the tears and all that, but she may give me the cold shoulder,” he said. “She may scream and cry and run off or be scared. I don’t know. So I’ve got to mentally prepare for the worst and pray and hope for the best.”
He said every time he returns home from a deployment, Beth Kimmel has a new surprise for him. The first time she had bought a new camera. Second was a new dining room set and next was a new house. Now, it’s a new daughter.
“I don’t know what we do next,” he said. “I mentioned it to my son [Caleb] and he’s like ‘I know, next time it’ll be triplets!’”
This is Robert Kimmel’s first humanitarian deployment, and while it hasn’t made missed milestones easier, his wife said communicating with him is.
“We are doing everything we can to keep him connected and involved in the process, through photos and Skype and Facebook,” she said. “I think, compared to past deployments, this one has been easier in most respects. In general, I don't worry about his safety quite as much, and I can hear in his voice that, although he is tired from working long hours, he is not as tense as during past deployments.”
And even though he was separated from his family during his recent promotion to lieutenant colonel, it was a big family event. He was able to have a video teleconference with his immediate family all watching live. And his military family that works beside him added to the excitement.
“This [promotion] really meant a lot to me,” he said. “I felt like I earned it. There were 50 people in the room that didn’t have to be here.”
While Robert Kimmel regrets being separated from his family during these events, he said it’s not something he would change.
“To me, this is absolutely a worthy sacrifice,” he said. “The opportunity to help even in a small way to curb this global virus and saving some people’s lives -- those lives are worth the little sacrifices I’m making.”