The last time Ryan McKinnon deployed, things were different.

He was an enlisted Soldier working as a medic. His oldest child, Sierra, was just two years old, and McKinnon's wife, Chrissy, was pregnant with his son Gabe.  
That was six years ago.

After returning from that deployment, McKinnon enrolled in the Army's Green to Gold program, taking advantage of an opportunity to return to college, receive his baccalaureate degree, and earn a commission as an Army officer. Ryan stayed home with his children and balanced taking classes at divinity school in Maryland while Chrissy worked full-time as a commercial real estate broker.

"He got to see what it was like to be at home," Chrissy said. "The children were really able to bond with him."

Six months ago, the family - with new additions Noah, 2, and Elias (who was born in November) - relocated to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Ryan, now a captain, stepped into a chaplain position with 3rd Brigade. While there was some initial uncertainty a few months ago about when Ryan would deploy, he now has his orders and is set to ship out to Afghanistan next month.

"There is more emotion involved this time with daddy leaving," Chrissy said.
The older children now understand more about what is going on, and there are more of them. The McKinnons are also far away from their family support network, as both of their families live in the Maryland area.

Ryan and Chrissy, who have been together since they were 16 and have been married for nine years, are using the deployment as an opportunity to talk about what everything means and what daddy will be doing in Afghanistan.

"We want to be open and transparent with everything," Ryan said. "I see so many emotions when it's the other way and parents try to keep it from them until the last possible moment."

That's not to say, however, that it wasn't tough when the pair broke the news.

"They got pretty emotional that night," Ryan said.

Chrissy has taken the opportunity to incorporate the experience into the children's home school curriculum and educate them about the country of Afghanistan and what their father is going to do there.

"They're almost excited to have me go and do what I'm going to do," Ryan said.
Chrissy will look to her church and the Protestant Women of the Chapel group to help her get through the yearlong deployment.

"We pray a lot, and we know God is going to get us through it," Chrissy said. "While Ryan is gone, (the kids and I) will grow closer. A lot of good can come out of it. It's really about your perspective."