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Photo by John Wagner

In the eight months Senior Master Sgt. Charles “Ed” Sears of the Alaska Air National Guard has been deployed, his two daughters, Savannah and Sydney, have learned to spell Kyrgyzstan, no mean feat for a 10-year-old and 8-year-old.

Thursday evening, the girls’ mother, Janine Sears, waited with quelled excitement among a small group of friends and family members at Fairbanks International Airport to welcome Sears and four other command members of the 168th Security Forces Squadron home.

The Sears’ daughters aren’t expecting dad home until the end of the month, said Janine, who flew in from the family’s home in Anchorage for Ed’s Fairbanks arrival. She told them the later date to avoid any disappointment if his return times were changed or delayed.

“Every morning I give them a Skittle with their vitamin,” said Janine, a special education teaching aide.

“There are 13 sleeps (Skittles) in the bottle still,” she said, explaining how her daughters count down the days until their dad’s return.

The security squadron has been serving at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, since September. The remainder of the squadron will arrive today.

According to the commander of the mission support group of the Alaska Air National Guard 168th Air Refueling Wing, Col. Kent Coker, the 168th Security Forces Squadron is the first Air National Guard security force command to command at a deployed base.

“They are part of an elite command element. They are the cream of the crop,” he said, adding that the Eielson-based group was deemed the best in the entire National Guard in 2006.

In Kyrgyzstan, the squadron’s mission was to provide air base ground defense and to protect the installation and personnel.

Previous to their deployment, the security squadron underwent mandatory combat training in Texas, Coker said.

Two of Staff Sgt. Brian Zeisel’s six children accompanied his wife, Lydia, to the airport.

The Alaska State Trooper, like his comrades, was glad to reach home turf after a three-day, up and down air journey.

The two eldest Zeisel children were working, and two more were at home tending a homemade dinner for dad and icing the chocolate cake they baked.

The two youngest were exploring new backpacks passed out by Cheryl Adamson, coordinator of the Wing Family Program.

While Air Guard personnel are deployed, attending school or on other duty, Adamson works with the airmen and families left behind. She provides a variety of information before deployment and holds readiness briefings that deal with issues such as employment, stress, insurance and resources.

“If they take care of everything at home before they go, they can focus on what they they’re doing when they’re away,” she said.

Adamson also keeps in touch with families by telephone when their loved ones are deployed.

Senior Master Sgt. Alphonzo Allen was greeted by his wife, Michelle, and their two teenagers.

He was rubbing his nose as the family gathered up his gear. “Alisha nearly broke my nose,” the happy father said with a smile.

Alisha, 14, had done her usual jump up bear hug, despite her brother, A.J., 16, warning her beforehand that she was too big to do that anymore.

Since A.J. now has his license, Michelle said, her driving duties have dwindled slightly.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “They’re very active in sports and church.”

Allen, an airport police officer, will finish his Air Guard commitment in the next month before returning to work.

The family was planning a home-cooked meal of steak, potatoes and salad Thursday, and after that — “Whatever he does, that’s what we’re doing,” Michelle said.

The Sears daughters are in for a big surprise in a few days when Dad turns up on the family doorstep. He also will find a few changes at home, Janine said.

Since Ed’s been gone, the dishwasher died, the refrigerator broke and a water pipe burst in the bathroom.

“I’ve learned how to Sheetrock,” said Janine, who redid the whole bathroom in the colors of her choice.

“The kitchen’s next,” she said, grinning.