Staff Sgt. Antonio Andre and his wife, Angela, are reunited Friday at RAF Lakenheath, England, after his eight-month deployment to Iraq. Andre is with the Vehicles Operations Flight of the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron. He and four other airmen were in Iraq to assist with convoy security. (Ron Jensen / S&S)
Staff Sgt. Antonio Andre and his wife, Angela, are reunited Friday at RAF Lakenheath, England, after his eight-month deployment to Iraq. Andre is with the Vehicles Operations Flight of the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron. He and four other airmen were in Iraq to assist with convoy security. (Ron Jensen / S&S)
Senior Airman Mauro Velasquez of the Vehicles Operations FLight of the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron displays the helmet he was wearing when a roadside bomb blew up near his vehicle in Iraq. He's not sure what hit his helmet, but he was awarded a Purple Heart for the concussion he suffered that day. (Ron Jensen / S&S)
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — On the 120-mile ride Friday from Heathrow Airport south of London to RAF Lakenheath, Senior Airman Mauro Velasquez winced every time a truck pulled alongside the Air Force van in which he was riding.
He cringed at the sight of a dead animal on the roadside. Abandoned cars? Don’t even ask.
For the past six months, Velasquez and four other airmen sharing the ride have been traveling the dangerous roads of Iraq, where such things are a threat to life and limb, possible hiding places for a deadly roadside bomb.
“It’s going to take a while to get used to it,” he said of the non-threatening environment of England.
The five airmen from the Vehicle Operations Flight of the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron arrived at the base during lunchtime Friday, welcomed by colleagues waving American flags and family members wielding outstretched arms primed for hugs.
The airmen had been providing security for convoys in Iraq, a task undertaken by the Air Force more than a year ago when the Army asked for help.
In England, the airmen drive trucks to pick up and deliver aircraft parts, provide a wrecker service and chauffeur distinguished visitors.
“It’s a huge jump,” Master Sgt. Marvin Parker said of the change in duty.
Velasquez earned a Purple Heart on Nov. 18. A roadside bomb exploded near his truck. Something — he’s not sure what — struck his helmet, slashing the outer cover and denting the Kevlar, giving him a concussion.
He was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and offered a chance to return to England.
“I decided to go back [to Iraq] and finish the tour and come home with my guys,” he said.
