Brewer/Bangor - Veteran's Day isn't just about honoring those who have fought in battle.

It's also a time to recognize the spouses, children and others who keep the family unit going, when a loved one is deployed.

A number of them marched in the Veteran's Day parade in Brewer and Bangor.

Joy Hollowell tells us more.
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Anthony Mcpherson was deployed back in 2010. The First Sergeant in the Maine Air National Guard spent 60 days in Turkey.

"When you're active duty, you're going two-to-four years to different places," says 1st Sergeant Mcpherson. "You make friends, but you don't usually keep those friends for a long time."

1st Sergeant Mcpherson says the services of the Airman and Family Readiness Program proved invaluable for his family.

"They called my wife once a month, sometimes a little more than that to make sure she was OK for snow plowing and things like that," says 1st Sergeant Mcpherson.

""The person in uniform is the most easily recognized part of this whole thing. We know they go away," says Andrew Matlins, Airman and Family Readiness Program Manager for the Maine Air National Guard. "Once they deploy, its Groundhog Day. It's the same thing everyday for them. Our families have to deal with filling in that missing space at home."

From movie nights for the kids, to emergency financial assistance, the Airman and Family Readiness Program steps in when a loved one is called away.

11-year old Chandler Mcpherson says Veteran's Day means a lot to him. He knows his dad has an important job helping to keep our country safe, even if that means being away from home.

"It means a lot," says young Mcpherson. "See my Dad, he's been away a lot, and this makes me happy going in parades and stuff."

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