Paying it forward: AAFES employee goes where you go

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Sarah E. Stegman
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  For some, six months in a war zone is plenty, but for one Army and Air Force Exchange Service employee here it wasn't enough and she's getting ready to go back for more.

Darlene Downing, an AAFES supervisor at the base exchange, just returned from a 14-month deployment in Afghanistan that spanned two presidents, a troop increase and escalating violence. Still, she's ready to go back, to keep serving and paying it forward.

"Darlene is one of many AAFES associates who have volunteered to serve our soldiers that are deployed," said Gilbert Matag, AAFES general manager. "Darlene's desire to serve those soldiers led to her extending her initial six month deployment on two separate. She's happy to be home, and is already gearing up to volunteer again. Darlene often says the AAFES motto of, 'We go where you Go.'"

Ms. Downing has worked with AAFES off and on since she was 18 years old and has a rich history of family members who have served in the military. Her father, brother and sister have all retired from the Army and her daughter, who is also in the Army, is currently deployed for the third time.

"My daughter had been deployed twice before I deployed and I know that there were AAFES employees who took care of my baby while she was over there," Ms. Downing said. "I felt it in my heart to do the same for others' children and families, to take care of them and give them a piece of home while they're deployed."

One young Soldier prominently stands out in Ms. Downing's memory from her time at Camp Phoenix.

"There was a young girl, about 21 years old, who had only been in the Army for three months before she was deployed," she recalled. "At first she didn't have many friends because she was attached to a different unit than what she was normally assigned. I would talk to her for hours in the store at first, and I helped introduce her to people around the camp.

"When I was getting ready to come back, she was surrounded by friends and I could really tell she appreciated the things I did to help her," Ms. Downing beamed.

"For me, I see Soldiers as someone else's kids, their babies, so to be able to just talk with them and provide a sense of home and something familiar was really the most rewarding thing," she explained. "You can tell they appreciate us being there for them."

Ms. Downing trained in Dallas and at Fort Benning, Ga., before deploying in August 2008.

"I didn't have a clue where I would be deployed to until I went to Kuwait," she said. "I ended up at Bagram Air Base until January and then I was moved to Camp Phoenix in Kabul until I came back home in October."

Her decision to deploy overseas was from the heart and can be seen when she reminisces about her time in Afghanistan.

"I didn't really know what to expect when I left, which is why I originally agreed to a six month tour," she said. "After being there, the experience exceeded all my expectations and I kept extending. Don't get me wrong, it was very stressful at times - we worked 12 hour shifts, six days a week - but it was worth it and I'm looking forward to going again in May of next year."