Mother's Day surprise: Deployed medic, family reunited on air Published May 13, 2008 By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Marsh Keesler Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Sunday was Mother's Day. Terry Ryder thought he'd have to wish his wife, Jeannine, a Happy Mother's Day through an e-mail or a 15-minute phone call, complete with four-second delay. Instead, he and their three daughters -- Christine, 14, Paige, 13, and Terra, 8 -- were swept up into a whirlwind weekend courtesy of CBS, culminating in a live, on-air opportunity to wish Mom blessings for the day. Mom, 17-year Air Force veteran Maj. Jeannine Ryder, is the 81st Inpatient Operations Squadron's maternal child flight commander at Keesler Medical Center and is currently deployed to Afghanistan. Bob Jensen, working in Afghanistan on a communications team, approached the CBS Early Show and pitched the idea of surprising a deployed mom with Mother's Day greetings from her family. He already had Major Ryder in mind as the perfect candidate. The producers of the show thought it was a great idea, but decided to surprise the family instead of the mom. After explaining the event -- with a little bit of fibbing -- Col. Thomas Roshetko, 81st Inpatient Operations Squadron commander and Major Ryder's boss, convinced Terry to go to New York and be highlighted on the May 10 edition of The Early Show. Mr. Ryder and the family were under the impression they were going to be part of a show highlighting how tough it was to have a military mom deployed -- they had no idea what was in store for them. CBS flew the family to "The Big Apple" Friday, put them up in a hotel and got them to the studio Saturday morning for filming. After a couple of questions about how hard it was being away from mom, the family was told that instead of having to e-mail mom, they could talk to her right then and there. At that moment, a live video shot of Major Ryder, complete with airman battle uniform and a smile, appeared on the studio's big screen. (Unfortunately, due to technical complications, Major Ryder would be able to hear, but not see them. "It was quite stressful getting the girls ready and all the logistics before leaving, but when we arrived they took great care of us," Mr. Ryder said. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but when we saw Jeannine, it was fantastic. The girls were completely surprised." Over the next few minutes, Mr. Ryder spoke with his wife and let her know they missed her, but were making the best of the separation. "I was worried about saying something stupid on TV," he admitted, "but it was great seeing her." He said it was tough having her deployed and they miss her greatly, but go on taking each day one at a time. "It is very hard as a mom," said Major Ryder about being away on her first deployment. "Terry and I work as a team to raise the girls. But, we have an important mission here and are seeing great changes every day." After only a couple of weeks at the job, associate producer Aaron Lewis, who ran the four-minute segment, said he was glad to be part of such a great project . "It took a lot of coordination, but in the end it was entirely worth it," he said. "It was one of the best things I've done professionally. I even had the executive producer call and let me know it was the best segment of the show." The family's New York experience didn't end with the telecast. The United Serviceman's Organization teamed with CBS to make the weekend as memorable as possible and arranged for a tour of the city, tickets to see The Little Mermaid play, new iPods, DVDs, books and "a phenomenal dinner," according to Mr. Ryder. The Ryders returned home Sunday from their trip and prepared to get back to the weekly grind as Major Ryder, 9½ hours ahead and several thousand miles away, prepared to do the same.