Faith Testerman is more than a hero to faculty members and students, she is a hero to the entire country.
When she is not assisting frustrated professors and students with issues concerning Florida Online, the Daytona State online support specialist is training for combat with the United States Air Force Reserves. The 47-year-old Testerman has dedicated 26 years of her life contributing to the freedom of America, but raised in a family full of Air Force military people, that comes as no surprise.
When the call of duty required Testerman to venture into Afghanistan for a six month deployment, she took it completely in stride.
“As a military person, I’ve gone through training that prepared me to deploy and I knew it was my duty,” said Testerman.
Faculty members and friends crowded Testerman at a welcome back event to ask her about her experience and tell her how thankful they were to have her back home. Some of them expressed their joy at her return while others shared their worries while she was deployed.
“I’ve worked with Faith for sixteen years, I was happy to have her back,” said Betty Mantero, the Administrative Assistant at the College of Business Administration.
Melinda Cascioli, a library technician at DSC added, “We were very concerned for her and for her safety, but we’re so glad she’s back and in one piece.”
Testerman, while grateful for the concern and support of her loved ones, viewed the deployment to Afghanistan as a way to give back to her country.
“I volunteered for it. I think I just come from a background of military where it’s my job,” said Testerman. “If I’m needed, then I go and that’s just how I look at it.”
Still, Testerman explained that it was all about precaution and adjusting to the routine of her time spent in Afghanistan.
“You don’t know who to trust sometimes, so it’s better to stay with who you know and who you’re comfortable with,” she said. “There are rocket attacks, but it was something you expected. After you get there the first week, you hear the sirens go off and you get on the ground, wait two minutes and then go to your bunker. That pretty much became the norm. It’s weird how you get used to your environment.”
Testerman doesn’t believe she will be deployed again and plans on retiring within another year or two. For now, she will continue to train with the USAFR one weekend a month and two weeks a year.
“There’s no way I could do what I do without the support of my family,” concluded Testerman. “My husband David supported me and told me I had to do what I needed to do.”
Testerman and her family will be driving to New Mexico to spend time with extended family during the holidays for a well-deserved break. Then it is back to DSC, where Testerman will be an online specialist another semester, supporting the college community as well as she supports her country.