Topeka ? First, they received an intelligence briefing. Then, they went through the mobilization processing line, complete with a stop at the medical station. Finally, carrying duffel bags packed with dog tags and other essentials, they were ready to ship out.

And when their mission was over — just 90 minutes later — the 34 youngsters had a much clearer picture of what happens when their parents are mobilized as members of the Kansas Air National Guard’s 190th Air Refueling Wing.

After Saturday’s exercise at Forbes Field, 11-year-old Sean Rende said he hadn’t realized everything his mother has to go through when she is deployed.

“I know she had to go through all the shots and everything,” he said. “I didn’t know they had to go through all the lines and sit there for four hours.”

Operation KUDOS, which stands for Kids Understanding Deployment Operations, is designed specifically for children of military parents.

Ranging in age from 3 to 13, the children were on a make-believe mission to Australia, where they would refuel fighters in the Solomon Islands.

In their briefing, they were told about the importance of a buddy system to avoid terrorist attacks and that they should only “eat at restaurants with good food so you don’t get sick.”

“I didn’t realize how much it took to get them briefed,” said Chris Burnetta, 12.

They walked through a mobilization processing line to meet with the finance department, chaplain and the judge advocate general’s office. At the medical station, they received their “pills,” also known as jelly beans.

From left, Christopher Noe, Victorya Chavez and Nick Ingram receive instructions from Maj. Rus Curtis while on board a KC-135 Tanker during Operation KUDOS (Kids Understanding Deployment Operations). On Saturday, the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th Air Refueling Wing in Topeka sent 34 children through the entire process their parents would go through if they were being deployed overseas.

Each child was given a duffel bag packed with dog tags, a T-shirt, toothpaste, lip balm, a mini care package, audio books and a compact disc — all items their parents receive during mobilization.

A bus took the children to a hangar where they toured a KC-135 tanker. Parents then greeted the children with welcome home signs when they got off the plane.

Operation KUDOS originated at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Tonya VanSickle, family readiness coordinator for the 190th, said the 190th was the first Air National Guard base to use the operation.

“Parents can tell the kids all they want over and over again what they do when they deploy,” VanSickle said. “It’s just so different when it’s hands-on.”