LARAMIE – The air I breathe, in a room empty of you, is unhealthy.
 
The famous quote by the English poet John Keats could be applied to how modern military families feel when a loved one is deployed.
 
Wyoming football, in partnership with Operation Teammate, provided a breath of fresh air for a group of kids from around the state whose fathers are serving the country thousands of miles from home.
 
After last Saturday's practice in the Indoor Practice Facility, the Pokes engaged the local Operation Teammate participants on the field.
 
Carmelinda Cornell helped organize the families and made the trip from Rock Springs with her 12-year-old daughter, Olyvia, and 10-year-old son, Judson. Her husband, Capt. Will Cornell, is currently deployed with the Wyoming Army National Guard.
 
"It made it all kind of come alive," Carmelinda said when asked what it was like to watch UW's practice up close and then having her children interact with the players. "They just welcomed us so much, and it made us feel like we were literally part of the family. It was so fun; it was so cool. It just kind of blew our minds."
 
The afternoon had an impact on the Cowboys, too.
 
Andrew Johnson, a senior safety from Cheyenne, knows what the families in attendance are going through. When he was growing up his father, DJ Johnson, was deployed for nine months in Afghanistan during his service in the Air Force.
 
"This is the best part of what we do," Johnson said of UW's community outreach, which also included about 275 children participating in a free football clinic Saturday. "For me, just a couple of years ago I was these kids out here doing these camps and looking up to the Wyoming players. Now being able to be one of those players, the Operation Teammate thing is an incredible thing that Coach (Jay) Johnson has been partnered with.
 
"Growing up in a military family and being able to talk to those families who have a loved one deployed, these young kids who are growing up with parents a couple thousand miles away is a really neat thing. I'm privileged and honored to be a part of that."
 
Johnson, entering his second season as UW's offensive coordinator, has been involved with Operation Teammate since 2017 when he joined the coaching staff at Georgia. The foundation is headquartered in Suwanee, Ga.
 
"I've always had an affection for the military folks," said Johnson, who serves on the Operation Teammate leadership team as the director of programs. "I think what they do, the sacrifices that they go through as a family and things of that nature are quite amazing to provide and serve our country. That has always been an important thing for me. My brother was career Navy and I know he experienced some deployments and obviously was away from his wife and kids for extended periods of time."
 
Six military families, including 15 children, attended Saturday's event at UW. As a group they have experienced 205 months (17 years) of separation.
 
"We wouldn't get to do what we do without people who give their sacrifice for our country," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said. "You have somebody deployed for X number of months or a year, and (some of) these kids are 8 years old, that's such a big sacrifice and such a difficult thing. If we can bring them out here and they can have a good time watching us practice, that's awesome."
 
Operation Teammate was started in 2015 by Tim Montjoy, who served in the Air Force as a single parent for nine years. The foundation is now a family mission for Montjoy and his daughter, Bethany.
 
In addition to UW, there were Operation Teammate events with the football programs at Alabama, Georgia and Kansas last weekend. Since 2015, the foundation has impacted over 1,400 military children in 13 different states.
 
Johnson also helped organize Operation Teammate events at Colorado and Michigan State during his time as offensive coordinator of the Buffaloes and Spartans.
 
"Jay's been phenomenal and a huge advocate and mentor, really, to be quite honest with you," Montjoy said. "There are many phenomenal organizations, both military affiliated and then within the local communities, that holistically support military families. But the gap that we are currently still filling is related to the fact that there's a lack of resources directly focused on the military children themselves."
 
Operation Teammate's mission does not push kids to play sports but simply to provide opportunites be around highly motivated athletes who often have overcome their own adversity to make their dreams come true.
 
"Hopefully the messaging from the success and journeys of our athletes resonates with our kids," Montjoy said. "If it motivates them to play a sport, great, but if it motivates them to do whatever they choose to focus on and do in life, that's kind of how we measure the impact."
 
In addition to the Cornell's, there were two military families from Casper, one from Buffalo, one from Cheyenne and one from Laramie in attendance for the Operation Teammate event at UW.
 
"They were really coming from all over the state which really shows the importance of this institution and what it does for the state," Johnson said.
 
Carmelinda said the community in Rock Springs is very supportive. Neighbors are happy to come mow the lawn or fix a washing machine or whatever is needed to help a military family with a deployed parent.
 
But there is still that emptiness in the house until a deployed loved one returns.
 
"There's no other person who could come and take the place of who they are," Carmelinda said. "Not having their presence and not having them part of our everyday lives, I think just missing that, missing who they are, that's probably the hardest part."
 
For one afternoon, it felt like one happy extended family in the IPF.
 
"Everything just became so personal and intimate," Carmelinda said. "These players, my kids loved that experience of them taking that time with them and actually really making them feel so special."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 

Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.