Book Nook - This Last Mission: A Love Story Written by a Retired Air Force Pilot’s Wife

Theda Yager, who recently published her new book, “This Last Mission: A Love Story Written by a Retired Air Force Pilot’s Wife.” Yager’s book dives into a real depiction of a fictional military family’s point of view that illustrates the life of an army wife and the tasks she had to upload when her husband was deployed. 

 

Yager's book is center around a strong, seasoned military wife and mother named, Consuelo. The author’s experience as a military spouse is reflected in the adversities that Consuelo and her family experienced when her husband, Jeff, was in active duty in the Air Force. From handling childcare to the maintenance of the family vehicle, Yager stresses the big balancing act that Consuelo maintains while her husband is away. Through their love and their faith, Consuelo and Jeff’s relationship can get through anything. “This Last Mission” shares an honest perspective from a military family’s point of view, illustrating the raw reality that they may face. 

I had a chance to interview her to learn more.

Why did you write this book? 

My husband was active duty Air Force for twenty-six years. I felt a need to write about our experiences as a military family. Thus, the inception of "This Last Mission," relates and tells about some of the family experiences. No matter the branch of service, many of the experiences of the families may be somewhat similar. After retirement, our family would discuss different experiences we had enjoyed or some others, not so much. Our friends would frequently say, "I had no idea that would ever happen. I could not have dealt with that." When we were stationed at various military installations, and I would meet people in the community through various civic organizations; on more than one occasion, I was told, "I really like you. I would like to be your friend, but I know you will be moving in a couple of years, and it hurts too much to say goodbye. I just can't do it."

 

Where did you get your inspiration for your characters?

The characters in "This Last Mission" are personalities I have encountered or have known in my long life. "Jeff" is patterned after my husband's Air Force cadet buddy, Native American heritage, whom I call "my fifth brother." Jeff's wife, Consuelo's personality, is similar to a bi-racial Air Force wife I knew and loved. The rest of the book's characters are a compilation of personalities I have known throughout the years. 

 

Why is it essential for non-military families to get a glimpse of what it is like to be a military spouse?

From my perspective, a military family needs to be involved and participate in the community in which they live in. A military family needs to understand the local culture. They need to get involved, to learn what is vital in their new community. In Tennessee, it was Country Music, and a different type of barbeques than we were used to. There were landmarks and historical points in the community and state the locals were proud of, and we found it to be very interesting. We had gifts and talents that filled gaps in our church, schools, etc. The military family must attempt to be known and to contribute to the community.

 

And conversely, a civilian community needs to know something about the strangers in their community. They may be lonely, living hundreds or thousands of miles from their homes and families. There are times when there is a severe illness, critically ill child, or even death in the family. Some young military families may not have the finances to go home. That is when a loving community can surround them and be of emotional support. A few military families maybe huddled in their residences feeling lonely and depressed because it may be their first assignment, and they do not know how to reach out to the community. They may feel intimidated. We were blessed to have lived in loving and welcoming communities, all except for one. But, by the time that "one" occurred, in my husband's career, we were a seasoned military family and knew how to cope. 

 

Years later, when I would tell my friends about some of the struggles we experienced, such as having a baby when my husband was away on a mission, the death of a baby in a foreign country, hospitalized myself, or my children when he was deployed. These are just some things that can happen in a military family's life.

 

"This Last Mission" reflects many either first-hand experiences or experiences I witnessed. Then, of course, there are places where fiction flows freely. At that point, it is the reader's job to figure out which is a fact or fiction. 

 

How can civilian families support military families?

It is appreciated when a civilian family invited a military family into their home or even to a church function. Nothing fancy, it can be a picnic, ballgame, fishing trip, a trip to the beach or pool, or go bowling. And to put the icing on the cake, if the two families have children of similar ages, then a new level of acceptance is felt. If it is possible to include a military family for a Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or other special occasions, the invitation most likely would be warmly received. 

 

Before my husband, Don, and I married, he was stationed at an air training base where there was a LOT of young men. Each Sunday, the pastor would have a gentleman stand up at the back of the sanctuary and would point him out and say, "If there are any young men who would like to go to for a home-cooked meal, contact Howard Anderson." Word spread fast at the base about the hospitality of that church and community. It wasn't the size of the gesture; it was the fact that someone noticed and acknowledged their presence. Suddenly, they no longer felt like a stranger in a strange land. Small acknowledgments are extremely important and long remembered.

 

A personal example, my husband, our two tiny daughters, and I transferred to Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, on the outskirts of Nashville, after being stationed in Europe for four years. An older lady in our church, "adopted me." She mentored me at church. She took me to community activities. Then, one day in passing, she mentioned that her husband was looking for a specific type of cattle. Our next-door military friends were from Indiana and were both raised on farms. Fortunately, one of their fathers raised the breed of cattle they were looking for. A military connection helped a civilian. From those connections, friendships developed not only in the community but across stateliness. 

 

As a P.S., I would say it is a two-way street. With the welcoming gesture of friendship, the military family and civilian family can develop a new appreciation for each other's lives, and both are enriched.