Web casts allow deployed Liberty Warriors watch graduations

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ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Parents deployed from RAF Lakenheath will be able to see their children's high school graduation ceremony via a live web cast June 6.

DODDS Europe, U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Army 5th Signal Command have combined assets, talents and technologies to enable the live web casts. The effort will allow at least 18 graduation ceremonies to be viewed by an estimated 211 deployed parents in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world.

"Graduation broadcasts for deployed members quality of life initiative will be implemented for the fifth year," said Dr. Ninetta Brown 48th Fighter Wing school liaison officer. "Deployed servicemembers will be able to view their seniors crossing the stage and moving their tassels from right to left via live web casts graduation day."

The first graduation ceremony will be web cast June 5; 10 graduation ceremonies will take place simultaneously on June 6; and the last ceremony will be web cast June 13. Schools identified as having students with deployed parents are:

-- June 5: Hanau and Bamberg, Germany;

-- June 6: Naples, Italy; Heidelberg, Hohenfels, Kaiserslautern, Ansbach, Baumholder, Ramstein and Vilsek, Germany; Lakenheath, England; and Aviano, Italy;

-- June 7: Mannheim, Germany; and Rota, Spain;

-- June 8: Patch High School, in Stuttgart, Germany; H.H. Arnold High School, in Wiesbaden, Germany; and Vicenza, Italy; and

-- June 13: AFNORTH International High School, in Brunssum, Belgium.

Diana Ohman, director of DODDS Europe, who has been involved with each of the yearly web casts, said that although it is a monumental technical challenge, these web casts are emotionally significant to the students and the deployed parents.

"There is no room for error; it is too important," she said. "It is important to the graduating senior that he or she be able to share the event with (his or her) parents, as well as for the deployed parent to be able to view (his or her) son or daughter crossing the stage."

Planning for this year's web cast began in January. Seniors who had or anticipated having parents deployed at graduation were identified through the high schools.

(Courtesy of American Forces Press Service from a Department of Defense Dependents Schools Europe news release.)