After three deployments, family spends first Christmas together

Sgt. Tyler Tidgwell called to duty at wedding reception

BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. (WKBT) — One family in Black River Falls is celebrating their first Christmas together after three deployments overseas.

Sgt. Tyler Tidgwell just finished his third trip overseas in August and is spending Christmas with his wife, Kelly, and his four-year-old daughter.             

They’ve been married a little over a year but they have yet to spend Christmas together. He was actually called to duty right after they said “I do.”

“We got married right before I got the phone call I was leaving,” said Tidgwell.

“He got the phone call of his deployment the night of the wedding reception,” said Kelly.

Tidgwell said missing holidays and birthdays comes with the job. His daughter was actually born while he was overseas on his second deployment in 2010. It doesn’t get easier, but he said the last deployment was probably the hardest.

“This is the first time I actually had to leave and say goodbye to my brand new wife and my daughter. This time was probably the hardest for me,” said Tidgwell.

“It was extremely difficult. My Christmas last year consisted of a phone call with incoming and so it was basically a hang up the phone and say okay hunny I got to go,” said Kelly.

Tidgwell is now in the reserves. They don’t have any family traditions set up right now but they are hoping to make him being home for holidays one of them.