Families pull together when parents deploy Published Dec. 16, 2009 By Susan Griggs Keesler News editor KEESLER AFB, Ms. -- Keesler News editor Dealing with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is kicked up a notch for the spouses of deployed Keesler members, especially those that have young children. For Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Cimenski and Lisa Hunte, just two of the spouses left behind with family responsibilities, staying busy seems to be the key to keeping loneliness at bay. The Cimenski family Sergeant Cimenski and his wife, Senior Master Sgt. Erin Cimenski, have been married for 20 years. He's the superintendent of the 338th Training Squadron and she's the first sergeant of the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron. The Cimenskis arrived at Keesler a year ago with their two children, 12-year-old Jordan and 6-year-old Adam. Thomas Cimenski is familiar with the challenges of deployment from a different perspective. He's been deployed twice during his 21 years in the Air Force -- to Saudi Arabia in 1997 and Iraq in 2007. Erin Cimenski is deployed to Al Udeid, Qatar, where she's the first sergeant for the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron. She deployed in September and is scheduled to return home in February."The house is a little messier and the dinners a little less complex since my wife's been gone," Thomas Cimenski admitted. "It's a lot more work for the entire family, but we make a good team. The children have both been through this before and they both seem to really grasp what it's all about. We've asked them to step up and help out more than normal with all the household duties, and I'm very proud to say they have far exceeded our expectations." The family stays in touch by e-mail, Skype and "good old-fashioned letters," he remarked. "We all look forward to receiving those letters more than any other form of communication. "My wife sends them a lot of mail and knick-knacks from the deployed location," he continued. "Adam draws pictures nearly every day to send to her, and Jordan and Erin frequently correspond via e-mail. These few things really seem to bring the kids closer to Erin and her situation." Thomas Cimenski tries to keep his family extremely busy so his children don't miss their mom too much. "We've taken camping and hunting trips, a vacation and undertaken some labor-intensive yard projects," he said. "The time goes much faster when you're too busy to think about it. "I took the the kids back home to my family in Minnesota for Thanksgiving, the first time we've been back for the holiday in 15 years," Thomas Cimenski said. "We normally stay home for Christmas and New Year's, but this year we may go share it with friends or family. The house is just a little too lonely to stick around for those big days." Although deployments are always tough when you have children, Thomas Cimenski has been surrounded by support since his wife deployed. "Our family functions as a great team, but the community and our co-workers are no different," he emphasized. "From the neighbors offering to watch the kids, to co-workers and supervisors taking on a little more of the workload and consistent phone messages from the 81st MSGS Spouses Group and e-mails from the airman and family readiness center -- even though I never return those calls or e-mails, it's extremely comforting to know they are there if I need them. I couldn't possibly use even a fraction of the help that has been offered." The Hunte Family Maj. Barry Hunte is back in Iraq after two weeks at home marking the midpoint of his one-year deployment. At Keesler, he 's the flight commander at the 335th Training Squad-ron's weather schoolhouse. On deployment, he's serving as the weather adviser to the Iraqi Air Force. "It's been extremely hard on the kids to send him back to Iraq for another five months," said Lisa Hunte, his wife of nearly 25 years. The family, which includes 12-year-old Austin and 6-year-old Amber, has been assigned to Keesler since August 2005. Mrs. Hunte has become adept at juggling family duties, graduate school and work responsibilities, but she admits, "Everything falls on my shoulders -- keeping the house clean, attempting to fix things if they break or at least knowing who to call if out of my realm, making sure the kids are where they're supposed to be for school or any extracurricular activities." A registered nurse in Keesler Medical Center's surgical services unit for the past two years, she's expects to complete her master's degree in nursing education in March. "I'm just trying to have enough hours in the day to complete everything that needs to be done," Mrs. Hunte said. The family stays in touch with Skype, e-mails, phone calls and packages to and from their home. "Usually for the holidays, we travel to Illinois to be with Barry's family, but this year we're staying home to enjoy the holidays," Mrs. Hunte remarked. "My dad and stepmother will be visiting us from Florida." She tries to do something special with their children each month while their dad is away. "Since he's been gone, we've gone to a concert, traveled out of state over the summer and visited Disney World," Mrs. Hunte said. "Earlier this month, we saw Disney on Ice-Finding Nemo." To ease the separation from their dad, she tries to "keep the kids in a routine and not waver from it. If I keep them busy, the time goes by faster for all of us." Being apart from her husband has been difficult for her, too. "It's been tough, but we're a military family and understand what needs to be done to protect this country and our freedoms," Mrs. Hunte concluded.