VFW Operation Uplink Helps Keep ‘Storybook’ Romance Alive

Erin and Nathan Boone first met at Langley Air Force Base in Langley, Va. At the time, Nathan was awaiting pilot training, and Erin was being sent for her first duty station. According to Erin, “We fell in love at first sight, like they do in all the storybooks.” Nathan left for pilot training four months after they met. “We had been trying to get stationed in the same place ever since,” Erin said. Erin and Nathan were married in Virginia a little over a year ago, but it was three months later when the couple finally became stationed together at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Fla. Erin, an Executive Officer for the 33rd Operations Group at Eglin AFB, left for her first deployment to Baghdad, Iraq a few days after Christmas. “This is my first deployment and it’s been an adventure, but by far the hardest part of the whole time has been missing my new husband back home,” said Erin. “VFW Operation Uplink has helped us a great deal because there is no free Internet here in Baghdad, so the phone is my best way to contact my husband.” For Erin and Nathan, now a Special Operations AC-130 co-pilot in the 4th Special Operations Squadron, the little time they spend together on the phone is cherished, and VFW Operation Uplink helps them deal with the hardship of being apart. “I can only call home a few times a week, but I can’t tell you how his voice lights up when he hears my voice come across the line every time I call. We’ve spent so much time apart serving our country. After I get home, Nathan leaves for his first deployment to Afghanistan. Gifts like this really help to bridge the distance between us and make me feel like I’m home with him again, even if it’s just for a few minutes.”