Video

DVIDSVideoPlayer

Video by Tech. Sgt. Arthur Wright

Women of valor: Mother & daughter spend Mother's Day deployed

379th Air Expeditionary Wing

May 5, 2018 | 1:35

Behind every pilot is a high-tempo team that tracks pilot training and who’s legally qualified to fly. Senior Master Sgt. Michelle Mersing is the leader of one such team as the senior noncommissioned officer in charge of the Squadron Aviation Resource Management (SARM) Office within the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Operations Group at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. In this role, Mersing monitors pilots from approximately 20 different military installations worldwide.

“I have deployed to Al Udeid at least 10 times, but I’ve also deployed to Turkey, Guam, Ecuador, Spain and Kyrgyzstan … [the military] is a second family, honestly,” Mersing said reflecting on her 26 years in the service and time away from her kids. “I know [my colleagues are] missing their families as much as I’m missing mine.”

The Pittsburgh native also lives by the motto “every decision has a consequence,” that she still reminds her 22-year-old daughter, Victoria Moran, and 16-year-old son, Robert, by phone.

“Being away from your kids is always hard because they grow and life goes on at home without you while you’re in a deployed location,” she said.

But she’s grateful for the benefits the military has afforded her family, “I love what I do and the people I work with. I’ve met a lot of amazing people along the way and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support around me.”

Six years ago, Mersing’s daughter would experience life in uniform first hand. She enlisted in the military in 2012 and currently serves as a member of Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing at Pittsburgh’s Air Reserve Station: the same unit her mother joined 26 years ago.

Additionally, in January, Moran deployed to Al Udeid: her first deployment and first deployment with her mother.

“Being here for six months and having my mom here for a period of time is like having a piece of home with me while I’m here in the desert,” Moran said. “Not a lot of people get the chance to ever say that while they’re deployed.”

Moran is currently serving within the supply section of the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron. While deployed she’s steadily reminded of her mother’s motto.

“The lesson that my mom has ingrained in my brain is ‘every decision you make has a consequence. Good or bad.’ And she’s right. It’s kind of a way of life to me – every choice I make can affect the mission.”

“It’s amazing to be with her and have this opportunity to be on the other side of the world with one of my kids. And obviously over the years I’ve spent Mother’s Day away from my mom and my very own kids, so it’s rewarding to be with the people you love during the special occasion … It makes the deployment a lot easier,” Mersing added.