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Seymour Johnson Airmen Prepare for Deployment

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SEYMOUR JOHNSON — Airmen from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will soon be taking part in the NATO campaign against Yugoslavia.

Airmen from the 4th Fighter Wing are preparing for deployment. There is no word yet on how many are going or when they are leaving.

Thirty-six F-15Es from two squadrons soon could be flying combat mission over the Balkans. Now the crisis half a world away could hit home in Goldsboro.

In the small town where families play together, duty to country is an unwritten law. The possibility of a call to arms in a moment's notice is always in the minds of soldiers and their families.

Dan Dannelly is stationed at Seymour Johnson.

"If you let the wife and family in on what's going on from what you understand, it can place a lot of pressure on them," he said. "They think you're leaving next week, and you might not leave for three months or you might not leave at all."

"There are a lot of support groups for spouses such as I, and the other wives and stay-at-home dads," says military spouse Tom Karel. "It has a big impact on the base."

One hundred seventy-six additionalAir ForceandMarine Corpsplanes have been ordered to join the campaign in Europe already.

The deployment includes 18 more A-10 attack planes, more F-16s and F-15s, as well as up to 80 additional tanker planes.

Pope Air Force Baseleaders say they have not received any orders to deploy more A-10s.

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