Yukon Police Officer Prepares to Deploy Overseas

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

YUKON, OK --  A Yukon police officer has traded in his badge for a new uniform as he prepares to serve his country overseas. 

Sergeant John Brown is a 5-year veteran with the Yukon Police Department, but now he's being deployed to Afghanistan.

For the past 10 years, Sergeant Brown has been a reservist in the Air Force Reserves with the 72nd Aerial Port Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base. Brown said he knew the day would eventually come when he'd be called to serve his country.

"It's always in the back of your mind. With both wars going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, eventually you could be called," Brown said. "Being able to serve my country and give a little bit to the mission and what's going on overseas is the ultimate goal."

Overseas Brown will have the task of preparing planes for combat, but to do that he will be leaving behind his wife and two young boys. Brown's wife, Erin, said the only thing that makes his deployment a bit easier is the fact that he is a police officer, and she is used to having to worry about him.

"You just learn not to really think about it, and I think that's the best way to deal with it," Erin said.

Sergeant Brown said he will officially take a leave of absence from patrolling the streets of Yukon next week. From there he said he plans on spending time with his family before going overseas to serve for six months.

"I worry a lot about what's going on at home because being out of pocket, you can't be home to take care of the everyday things that you are used to taking care of," Brown said.

While there is no exact date on when Sergeant Brown will be called to deploy, he's certain he won't be home for Christmas.

The Yukon Police Department said it wants to assure its residents that Brown's position will be filled temporarily with others in the department.