Nellis kids miss parents overseas

Jace Radke

Thursday, April 10, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

While Staff Sgt. Scott Frye is working in Iraq to keep HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters flying, his 5-year-old son Ryan is missing his tag team partner.

"We wrestle and my dad usually wins," Ryan said as he dribbled a basketball at a day care center at Nellis Air Force Base Wednesday. "My dad's protecting people."

Ryan is one of many Nellis children who are missing parents deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 25 percent of the 500 children at the Nellis day care center have at least one parent overseas, officials said.

Ryan, whose father is a crew chief with the 66th Rescue Squadron, spent his recess at the day care center shooting baskets on a four-foot-high hoop, as other children rode tricycles and ran and jumped on playground equipment.

"I beat my dad's butt at basketball," Ryan said as he shook his head from side to side and then drove to the hoop for a pint-sized layup. "We like the (Chicago) Bulls."

Ryan's mother, Dawn, a staff sergeant with the 99th Logistics and Readiness Squadron at Nellis, said she tries to explain the images of the war that her son sees on television.

"We talked before his father left, so he kind of knows what's going on," she said. "For the most part he just misses his dad and the roughhousing that they do together.

"My 8-year-old son has a little more fear and anxiety because he understands what's happening. We try to just watch the local news together, and talk about it if any questions come up."

Teachers and staff at the day care give the children support and listen to their concerns, but they don't bring up the war, Kim Pasi, the day care's director, said.

"Sometimes we see some sadness or the child will withdraw emotionally," Pasi said. "We listen to them and comfort them, and we can also direct families to resources like the chaplain and the Family Support Center."

The Family Support Center, located on the base, has pamphlets and information about dealing with children's emotions and fears, and also facilitates support groups for parents.

Once children are doing their daily routines they tend to worry less, Pasi said.

"Things are different for the children at home, but we try to keep them the same here," Pasi said. "Sliding into the same comfortable routines is a big help for the kids and for us oldsters as well."

Dawn Frye said that her children's inability to talk with their father is probably the toughest aspect of the war for the family.

"We haven't been able to talk to him on the phone since this started, because he has been in an area where he can't get to a phone," Frye said. "We've got some e-mail and we read that together, but it's tough."

There is no shortage of communication from the children at the day care who have been doing art projects and writing letters to deployed fathers and mothers. The latest project was a batch of pet rocks that were mailed out last week.

Emily, a 4-year-old whose father is currently stationed in Southwest Asia, was getting ready to send her father a letter.

Emily's letter is just red crayon-scribbled lines, but she said she is sure her dad will be happy to get it.

"We like to tickle each other," Emily said of her father. "I miss him."