TAMPA, Fla. -- A Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., major deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia was recently granted a four-day pass to commission her son as a second lieutenant into the United States Air Force.
Maj. Roxana Hambleton, a personnel officer with the 482nd Force Support Squadron, deployed early this year with the knowledge that she was going to miss both of her children’s college graduations—her son’s from the University of South Florida in May and her daughter’s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June.
But harder yet was the knowledge that she would not be able to attend her son, Benjamin’s, commissioning into the Air Force.
“That was my biggest stumbling block to this deployment,” said Hambleton. “Not the time away from my business or my family, we all sacrifice that when we deploy, but I was most disappointed I would not have the opportunity to commission Ben.”
Even so, Hambleton deployed and was prepared to watch the graduation of both her children and the commissioning of her son via FaceTime when a co-worker, Master Sgt. Consuelo Santiago, also from Homestead ARB decided to do something about it.
“I’ve known Major Hambleton for nine years and I know what her children mean to her,” said Santiago. “So I broached the subject with our group commander who insisted she take the pass and commission her son.”
“I was never going to ask,” said Hambleton, “but if offered the chance, I jumped on it!”
Hambleton bought a ticket to Tampa and, due to delays, travelled for 31 hours to get to her son’s ceremony.
Keeping her trip from her son was the hardest, “Everyone knew except Ben,” said Hambleton.
When her son saw her he was stunned, “But how?” is all he could ask for several minutes as he hugged his mom, “I came to commission you Ben!” was Hambleton’s response.
The next day Hambleton stood in front of the families and friends of 20 cadets from USF’s Detachment 158 and commissioned her son as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force.
The audience broke out in spontaneous applause when the detachment commander announced:
"And commissioning Cadet Hambleton will be his mother, Major Roxana Hambleton, who flew in from an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Friday and will return to her deployment tonight."
Hambleton considers this a unique opportunity. “I’m grateful to my leadership at my deployed location who realized, better than I did, that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Hambleton.
Hambleton’s son graduated from USF with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Asian Studies, he begins Cyberspace Operations Officer Training in Biloxi, Mississippi later this month. Her daughter, Deanna, will graduate in June from MIT with a degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering.
Hambleton is deployed with a group of approximately 200 Homestead ARB reservists in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S. military operation name for the military intervention against ISIS, including both the campaign in Iraq and the campaign in Syria.