Each year the Naval Air Facility Atsugi community hosts a Pre-Deployment Fair at the Shirley Lanham Elementary School.

The event is typically in April, before Carrier Air Wing 5 departs NAF Atsugi for USS Ronald Reagan, and focuses on addressing upcoming changes for children and gives their parents tools for dealing with deployments and separation.

"Today we're focusing on the dynamics experienced by our children when mom or dad deploy," said NAF Atsugi Commanding Officer Capt. John Bushey. "Deployment is a difficult time for children; however, talking with our kids about deployment will help them to understand why their parents' deployment is so significant. This event is a good opportunity for parents and children to talk about deployment and to collect more information on the services and organizations around base that can help them, if and when they may need it."

Every year, the FFSC hosts the event to help explain what deployment is, why it's important and what children can expect while one of their parents are gone. This year, more than 10 different on-base organizations participated in the event ranging from NAF Atsugi's Naval Security Forces to the Commissary and American Red Cross.

"This fair is definitely kid-centric," said Fleet and Family Support Center Work and Family Life Relocation Manager Sarah Devine-Powell. "What's great is that each year we have the opportunity to provide with kids the tools and resources we have to help with their parent's departure and lengthy separations."

The NAF Atsugi FFSC hosts more than a dozen family, pre and post deployment and readiness classes and seminars for both children and adults.

"We're hoping to demonstrate both parents and children that what's important here is communication," Devine-Powell added. "This summer will be my husband's third deployment from NAF Atsugi, and I've learned that keeping those lanes of communication open are vital, and a lot of that help came from FFSC."

For the approximately 200 adults and kids who attended the event, many expressed thankfulness and gratitude for the opportunity to come to one place and learn more about what they can expect and learning the resources they can use for more help and information.

If you're interested in learning more about the Pre-Deployment Fair, or any of the other deployment-related activities coming up in the next few months, please stop by or call NAF Atsugi's FFSC at 264-3372.

For more news from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, visit www.navy.mil