When daughters have boo-boos, it's nice to have Daddy around to make it better.
Arabella Newlon, 5, bumped her lip while waiting for her father's deployment ceremony to begin Friday morning at the Ike Skelton Training Site.
It's the last time for nine months that Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Newlon will be able to put his arm around her in comfort.
The computer expert deployed with 11 other Missouri National Guard soldiers in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They will support the intelligence section of the 4-25 Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
This is the fifth time members of the 35th Infantry Division, headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, have been deployed to the Balkans.
But this is the first time Newlon will be separated from his family by an ocean for nearly a year. As Maj. Gen. Stephen Danner, adjutant general of Missouri, said at the deployment ceremony, Newlon and his unit were trained, equipped and prepared for their mission.
His wife, Gina, and their three children - Asher, 9, Arabella and August, 3 - hope they are prepared, too. They will be keeping up their four-acre farm in Centertown while Gina home-schools the children.
"We've planned extra activities; hopefully, the time goes faster," Gina said.
They plan to Skype regularly with Newlon, who will have ample Internet access at the Kosovo base.
If difficulties arise, her parents and siblings live in Mid-Missouri. And Newlon's coworkers in the data processing office at the Guard headquarters have made themselves available to the young family.
"It's peace of mind," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ken Struemph. "Deployment always is a trying time. The emotions you're going through are compounded when young children are involved."
Most of Newlon's coworkers also have deployed at some point, including Struemph, his boss. While Newlon is away, they will absorb his responsibilities.
Newlon's unit was requested specifically for this mission.
"It can't get much better than that when you're specifically requested," Danner emphasized.
However, "it's not an easy mission, and Bonsteel is not a fun place," he said.
The Missouri element is led by Lt. Col. Michael Kinder and Command Sgt. Maj. Alex Nelson, and most members have deployed before.
"Remember safety first, eye on the prize, focus on the mission - it's a dangerous world," Danner said.
Following tradition, the American flag was presented to the oldest team member - Master Sgt. Damon Eyerly, 53 - and the Missouri flag to the youngest team member - Spec. Corinne Daut.
"Everybody has to have communications," Newlon said. "Whether it's radio or email, it's a key piece of daily life.
"In the signal corps, my job is to make sure everybody is communicating."
On his first deployment, the army needed another military policeman and so they retrained him. That's when he went to chief warrant officer training six years ago, so he would be assured of using his technological skills, he said.
"I can serve my country exponentially with my technical skill set," he said.