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BEACON
THE Yellow Ribbon program supports
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Airman inspired by family history
452 AMW Public Affairs
QG6WUHHW%OGJ by Master Sgt. Megan Crusher
0DUFK$5%&$ 452 AMW public affairs
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“When they shoot at you, you don’t hear it U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Megan Crusher
ID[ like in the movies,” said Almira Pasic. “You
SKRQH just feel it zip by you, it’s really kind of like $OPLUD3DVLFDQGKHU\RXQJHVWVRQ0HPVXGLQSDUWLFLSDWHLQDQDFWLYLW\GXULQJWKH
a loud fly.” :DUULRU6XSSRUW)RUXPDWD<HOORZ5LEERQ5HLQWHJUDWLRQ3URJUDPKHOGLQ&KDQGOHU
&200$1'(5 $UL]-XO\7KH:DUULRU6XSSRUW)RUXPLVWDUJHWHGWRIDPLO\DQGIULHQGVRIGHSOR\LQJ
&RO5XVVHOO0XQF\ Almira is reminiscing on her life in Bos- VHUYLFHPHPEHUVDQGHQFRXUDJHVHYHU\RQHWRVKDUHWKHLUFRQFHUQVDQGJDWKHUDGYLFH
nia in 1992, when war broke out shortly after IURPSHRSOHZKRKDYHDOUHDG\JRQHWKURXJKDGHSOR\PHQW:KLOHKLVIDPLO\ZDVDWWKH
38%/,&$))$,562)),&(5 Bosnia declared its independence. It’s a far cry :DUULRU6XSSRUW)RUXP$LUPDQVW&ODVV0HKPHGDOLMD3DVLFDWWHQGVWKH'HSOR\HUV
&DSW3HUU\&RYLQJWRQ from her present life as a U.S. citizen living
in Jacksonville, Florida and attending an Air Forum to receive the same kind of support from fellow service members.
(',725 Force Reserve Yellow Ribbon Reintegration
0V/LQGD:HO] Program training weekend with her two sons, Bosnia, because of the horrors. He admits he Mehmedalija, but also because they wanted to
in Chandler, Ariz. Her oldest son is preparing still doesn’t fully understand all the facts, but is learn more about the deployment and resourc-
$0:(',725,$/67$)) to deploy to Southeast Asia for the first time aware of there being a connection between his es available for help.
Master Sgt. Megan Crusher in the fall. family’s past and his service.
6WDII6JW7LIIDQ\/LQGHPDQQ The family attended a total of five break-
Due to her background, she has a height- “When I revisit that topic it upsets me and out sessions on various topics pertaining to the
Senior Airman Russell McMillan ened sense of uneasiness with her son deploy- I get angry,” he said. “It’s definitely connected, deployment and everyone was surprised at the
Senior Airman Joseph Dangidang ing because she remembers the brutality of just being from a war-torn country and trying amount of information and support given to
6HQLRU$LUPDQ.HYLQ0LWWHUKRO]HU war. She recalls with ease what it was like be- to prevent that from happening anywhere else.” the service member and the family.
ing two months pregnant with her oldest son,
7KH %HDFRQ LV SXEOLVKHG E\ with an 8-month-old daughter to look after, Pasic said he looked forward to the Yellow “It’s really amazing, this has been so much
$HURWHFK1HZVDQG5HYLHZ$HUR- and having to hide behind buildings to avoid Ribbon training weekend because it’s his first more than I expected,” Almira said. “It’s much
WHFKLVDSULYDWH¿UPLQQRZD\FRQ- flying bullets and enemy soldiers. deployment and he realizes there may be ques- bigger than I thought and everybody is so
nected with the U.S. Air Force, un- tions he hasn’t thought of, plus the program friendly and there to help you.”
der exclusive written contract with “They were taking people to the hospital also provides information to family members.
WKH QG$LU 0RELOLW\ :LQJ 7KLV and killing them. You didn’t know at the time, He brought his mother and younger brother, Younger brother Memsudin echoed his
civilian enterprise Air Force news- but found out later,” she said. “You couldn’t Memsudin, with him for support and also to mother’s sentiments by saying how happy he
SDSHULVDQDXWKRUL]HGSXEOLFDWLRQ trust anybody.” help them understand what to expect. was to see the Air Force treat his brother and
IRU HPSOR\HHV DQG PHPEHUV RI brother’s family so well.
86PLOLWDU\VHUYLFHVUHWLUHHVDQG She and her husband immigrated to Ger- “It’s difficult to speak to them sometimes
IDPLO\PHPEHUV&RQWHQWVDUHQRW many, shortly before her son Mehmedalija because I understand how the military works Pasic was also pleased with Yellow Rib-
QHFHVVDULO\ WKH RI¿FLDO YLHZV RI was born. A second son followed two years and they really don’t have a clue,” he said. bon and the services made available to him
RUHQGRUVHGE\WKH86*RYHUQ- later. After seven years in Germany, the family “Here, they can actually get the information and his family.
ment, the Department of Defense was going to be sent back to Bosnia because and it’s broken down for them.”
or the Department of the Air Force. the war was over. “When I found out I was deploying I was
The Yellow Ribbon Program promotes the really excited, but at the same time I had my
The appearance of advertis- Even though the fighting had ceased, there well-being of reservists and their loved ones concerns, but now my concerns are being ad-
ing in this newspaper, including were still problems in the region so the family by connecting them with resources before and dressed and it’s making the whole thing a lot
inserts or supplements, does not decided to apply to immigrate to the United after deployments. It began in 2008 following easier,” Pasic said.
constitute endorsement of the States. After background checks, medical a congressional mandate for the Department
SURGXFWV RU VHUYLFHV E\ WKH 'H- screenings and interviews they were accepted of Defense to assist reservists and National While he knows he can’t prepare for every-
partment of Defense, the Depart- and arrived in late February 1999. Almira and Guard members in maintaining resiliency as thing, he feels he’s at a much better place hav-
ment of the Air Force or Aerotech her husband found work and the whole family they transition between their military and ci- ing gained so much knowledge and resources.
1HZVDQG5HYLHZ,QF became legal citizens three years later. vilian roles. Each year, the Air Force Reserve He’s also grateful for remembering how being
program trains 7,000 reservists and those clos- from Bosnia during a time of war correlates
(YHU\WKLQJ DGYHUWLVHG LQ WKLV It was no shock to Almira when her son est to them in education benefits, health care, with his military service and why he’s doing
newspaper shall be made avail- decided to join the Air Force Reserve because retirement information and more. what he’s doing.
able for purchase, use or patron- he had always been interested in aviation. He
age without regard to race, color, said he knew he wanted to fly aircraft or work Almira and Memsudin attended to support “I don’t want what happened there to happen
religion, sex, national origin, age, on them, and recalls telling his recruiter to get anywhere else, so being in the Air Force, I do
PDULWDOVWDWXVSK\VLFDOKDQGLFDS him as close to the aircraft as possible. have the ability to make a difference,” Pasic said.
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non-merit factor of the purchaser, Within two months of talking to a recruit-
user or patron. er, Airman 1st Class Mehmedalija Pasic was
shipping out to Basic Military Training, fol-
(GLWRULDOFRQWHQWLVHGLWHGSUH- lowed by technical training school as an inte-
SDUHG DQG SURYLGHG E\ WKH VWDII grated avionics technician. He has been in the
RI WKH QG $LU 0RELOLW\ :LQJ Reserve for 3 ½ years, is stationed at Moody
3XEOLF$IIDLUV RI¿FH DW 0DUFK$LU Air Force Base, Georgia, and looking forward
5HVHUYH %DVH $OO SKRWRJUDSKV to deploying.
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tos unless otherwise stated. For “I’m nervous mixed with a lot of excite-
advertising, contact Aerotech di- ment,” he said. “I finally have the opportunity
UHFWO\DW to put into effect my training and actually ac-
complish the mission out there.”
Aerotech News and Review
(DVW$YH.6XLWH Pasic said his parents shielded him from a
/DQFDVWHU&$ lot of the history regarding what happened in
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