A magic homecoming

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Turning eight years old can be a big milestone. Add a magician, face painting and plenty of presents, and any 8-year-old boy would be happy.

But for Cole Sandoval, this birthday party at the Arctic Oasis on JBER was going to have a big surprise.

Unbeknownst to Cole, the magician was going to make his dad appear out of thin air. This wouldn't be anything special - except Cole's dad was deployed to Afghanistan.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Sandoval, 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron joint terminal attack controller and single father of Cole and Trinity, returned from Afghanistan on two weeks of leave, and decided to surprise his two children.

Sandoval said his son didn't know that he was home from Afghanistan, so he got a magician for his eighth birthday party.

"It is only the second birthday party (of his) I have been to, so I am here to surprise my son," Sandoval said.

Some families may have children who don't understand deployment or are confused by why their parents have to leave for a while.

"What I can really say is be straightforward with your kids," Sandoval said.

Sandoval told his children all that he could about his deployment and suggests other parents should too, because children are smarter than we think.

Deploying is something military families are very familiar with and many families come up with different ways to deal with the separation.

"We will send audio recorders back and forth, and I will read a book and then mail the recording back so they can follow along so they can at least hear my voice," Sandoval said.

While deployed, those months can feel long - at home and abroad.

Luckily, there is a support system that many use to make the time go by faster.

"The biggest support is from family," Sandoval said. "My mom and my stepdad are my biggest supporters."

Although the support is there, there are still some challenges that come up during the months of the deployment.

"The challenges would be sometimes the emotional aspect for the kids can get to be overwhelming for them, so I do everything I can to keep them busy to keep their time occupied. I think a lot of free time is the biggest enemy," said Lisa Bogan, Sandoval's mother.

Bogan keeps her son's children active and busy to combat loneliness when a child can dwell on the fact that their dad is away.

"It's when they have those down times that the emotions start creeping and it's OK for those emotions to come out... you just don't want them to be overwhelming the kids all the time," Bogan said.

Everyone seemed in high spirits when the magician revealed Sandoval and the show concluded with kids dancing while Cole and Trinity welcomed their father home.

"For him to be here and be part of this birthday party for his son is really amazing," Bogan said.