Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director Nancy Carpenter knows how it feels to have a loved one on military deployment. When her son was deployed with the U.S. Army to Iraq in 2005, Carpenter said all she could do was hope for some type of communication.
“We didn’t hear from our son for almost a year,” Carpenter said. “We didn’t have Skype and other technologies (in 2004). It was horrible. It really bothered my husband.”
When Carpenter had the opportunity, she partnered with the Yellow Ribbon Program to help others who were missing their family members.
“We wanted to do something for the wives, mothers, sisters, husbands — anyone that has someone on an active deployment,” she said. “We’ve been partnering with the Yellow Ribbon Program for a few years. It’s our way of giving back to those who our defending our country.
According to yellowribbon.mil, the “Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is an effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle. Through Yellow Ribbon events, service members and loved ones connect with local resources before, during and after deployments.”
For the third year in a row, Carpenter, who is an honorary wingman at Columbus Air Force Base, sent the CVB’s double-decker bus to the CAFB to give military family members an opportunity to partake in a driving tour of Columbus. Approximately 40 people participated in this year’s tour.
A spokesperson for the Yellow Ribbon Group said Saturday’s visitors came from as far as Gulfport, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery to see the Friendly City. The program is free of charge. Participants were also given free tickets to pilgrimage homes and carriage rides.
“I really enjoyed this,” Amanda Brasfield ,of Houston, said. “I’ve always wanted to see Columbus. I really appreciate the (CVB) for doing this. My husband was deployed to Afghanistan in October. He will be gone for at least a year. It’s so nice to just have a day to enjoy myself.”
The Yellow Ribbon Program is a joint Department of Defense effort operated out of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and is aligned under the Office of Family and Employer Programs and Policy.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.