Turner family prepares for overseas deployments
The Turners are as much of a military family as you’ll find. Jordan and Brittni’s previous military deployments are what led them to one another. Brittni’s best friend had been deployed in Africa with Jordan and introduced the two when they all came home to Pennsylvania.
“We never would have met if it weren’t for the military,” Brittni said.
Their backgrounds and commitment to serving their country are reasons why upcoming deployments for both of them are not quite as difficult for their families.
Friends, family and coworkers gathered at American Legion Post 117 on Saturday night for a going away party. Within the next month, Brittni will deploy with the U.S. Army to Saudi Arabia. A month later, Jordan will be deployed with the Navy to Guam and the South Pacific Ocean. They found out in April and May, and have spent much of the year making preparations. They will both be spending one year overseas.
The Turners’ children, Julianna and Brantley, will be moving in with their grandfather, Gordon Kennedy, while their grandmother, Sherrie Paul, also will be helping take care of them as they transfer school districts and move to Butler. The Turners live in Ambridge, where Jordan works for the Ambridge Fire Department.
This will be the second deployment for Brittni and Jordan. Jordan previously served in Africa, while Brittni was deployed throughout Europe, mostly in Germany.
The Turners have been very busy the past two months, trying to get in as much family time as possible and planning an early Christmas after a big early Thanksgiving celebration Sunday. This is all while packing and preparing to be away from their children for a year, something they are dreading. Despite their preparedness, the Turners described recent weeks as being an emotional roller coaster.
Leaving behind family, friends and loved ones, the Turners have emphasized the importance of having a strong support system.
“You don’t know what’s really going on at home. And if something does happen, you can’t really do anything about it,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, you can trust your support system that they’ll take care of whatever. You can’t just hop on a plane and fly back.”
Kennedy, Julianna and Brantley’s “Pappy,” is fully aware of what military service entails. He and both of Brittni’s grandfathers, uncles, great grandfathers and other extended family have served throughout generations. Kennedy joined the military in 1978, one week out of high school, and served until 1989. He was stationed all over, including four years in Germany. He told a story about coincidentally being in Germany at the same time as his parents’ 25th wedding anniversary celebration and being able to spend a 26-day leave touring Europe with them. Brittni now jokes about not only being the first female in her family to join, but also outranking both her father and her husband. Following her most recent promotion, she is the highest-ranking member of her family.
Gordon appreciates the military service of both his daughter and son-in-law. He is accustomed to the military lifestyle, and believes that makes it a little easier to deal with the coming changes.
“You understand the point of being deployed, why you’re being deployed, it is what it is,” he said.
Transitioning to living with Kennedy won’t be an issue with the children, who love both their grandparents and are always ready to see them, Brittni said.
“He raised both me and my sister, so I think he’s ready. He was Mister Mom, and now he’s Pappy Mom,” Brittni said.
Brantley, currently in elementary school, feels “regular,” in his words, because his parents have done this before, but is still sad because they’re leaving. He is proud of them, and also scared of them being gone for a long time. For his parents, he asks his school to continue putting the flag up every day, something he currently gets to do as a third-grader. Brantley mentioned he rides a fire truck to school occasionally, with his dad working as a firefighter.
Brantley said not only does he want to join the military when he’s older, he plans to be first one in his family to join the Space Force. The solar system is his favorite thing to learn about, he said.
Julianna, currently in middle school, is feeling sad that her “amazing” parents are leaving, and also that she’s leaving behind her friends. Despite this, she understands how this goes. She went through the process with her mom’s first deployment while in kindergarten. She reminisced about how Brittni surprised the family at her aunt’s gender-reveal party upon her return. If anything, she enjoys seeing photographs of her parents’ travels.
“It is hard, yeah, but it is also kind of cool. They’ll send us pictures of the world,” Julianna said.
Brittni recognizes how hard this has been for Julianna and Brantley, and she sees how resilient and brave they have been throughout the process.
“If you talk to both of the kids, I think we’ve made such an impact on both their lives, and helping them figure out how resilient, how brave they are, that they both want to join the military some day. We’re hoping we do, right now they’re on board,” Brittni said.
One of the biggest difficulties during deployment, according to Brittni, is the time difference. But luckily, technology and FaceTiming have made communication with her children better.
“During my first deployment, I ended up buying an Xbox while I was over there, and the kids and I still got to have mom and kid time because we made a Minecraft world, and they still play in it to this day,” Brittni said. “So I can still be mom with them, but the time difference is a big challenge.”
The Turners admit it’s hard to explain their lifestyle, equating it to signing a blank check when you join the military. This is how they have always been. Brittni joined ROTC in high school, even completing basic training between her junior and senior years. Kennedy shares the same mentality, understanding that signing a contract with the military means staying committed to it. He takes pride in saying that “When (expletive) hits the fan, I’ll be right there defending this country.”
The couple admit there are parts of the deployment they look forward to. Jordan will enjoy being on an armed ship, protecting it from such dangers as piracy and terrorism. Brittni, on the other hand, said she’ll enjoy being in another new country and taking in different cultural traditions, foods and customs in addition to her service.
The hardships that come with deployment do not change the Turner family’s strong opinion that America is the best country in the world. They make a point of stressing they are proud of how patriotic their kids are and that they are respectful to the flag and other veterans. Being a military family, they understand that change happens. That’s why one of the points they continuously note is being there for one another.
“The military is a big family,” Kennedy said. “It’s going to be all good. It’ll be a little bit of a change.“
