Hometown support helps our Airmen Published Feb. 25, 2009 By Col. Gary Goldstone 375th Airlift Wing commander SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Four Team Scott Airmen who recently returned from deployments to Kyrgyzstan and Iraq shared their experiences Feb. 19 with a group of community leaders here, and part of their message focused on how hometown support affects the troops overseas. We send hundreds of men and women to these places but we never really get a chance to hear about their experiences in a setting like this. So, it was especially moving to hear not only about the work they performed, but also about how Americans are supporting our Airmen in these regions. For instance, Master Sgt. Carlos Rosado, an Air Force Reserve medical technician with the 932nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, deployed to Iraq and used his skills as an expert in drawing blood to establish blood banks for the wounded warriors at the hospital in Balad. Also, his civilian skills with the American Red Cross enabled him to perform lifesaving work there. He spoke of how the local American Legion Post 58 sent care packages to him and his patients, how a neighbor assisted with home repairs, and how the city of Belleville publicly recognizes veterans during special events. Despite the separation from his wife and three children he said that knowing his family was taken care of and seeing how complete strangers appreciated his service made the difficulties bearable. I was impressed with First Lt. Theresa Vollink's description of efforts at Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan with how the communities work with Airmen there to make life better for many of the poor children of that region. She said Manas has an outreach society where Airmen work with various communities back home to raise money for school supplies, clothing, food, and medical operations. What strikes me about this example is that even though there are people sending our Airmen the comforts from home, our Airmen are just as or more concerned about the people around them. Even when the Airmen have time off, they usually spend it fixing up orphanages and schools. She also told us about Bob Williams, a Florida man who has organized a pool of businesses and community members that make donations to more than 1,000 military members stationed there. From hand warmers to endless supplies of Starbucks coffee, this one person is making a difference for our people. Lieutenant Vollink served there as a protocol officer and currently works in the 375th Airlift Wing protocol office. Master Sgt. Robert Madrigal, assigned to the 375th Communications Support Squadron, served as a first sergeant at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Part of his mission, along with taking care of our servicemembers, was to help teach Iraqi men who were imprisoned there to read. I don't think I've heard or read about this type of work in the media. Educating these men has led to winning the hearts and minds of people who can now see for themselves what is going on around them. Sergeant Madrigal was also the point person for the town of Tuckahoe, N.Y., who adopted Camp Bucca since it was named after a firefighter from Tuckahoe who perished in 9-11. They sent food, drinks, reading materials and phone cards, which were used frequently. There are many servicemembers who don't receive care packages, so these communities fill a void and help lift morale. We also heard from a pilot with the 126th Air Refueling Wing (Illinois National Guard) who flew refueling missions around the clock to support coalition aircraft flying over Afghanistan. In 2008 alone, the refuelers flew about 3,300 missions and off-loaded 194 million pounds of fuel to about 11,500 aircraft. They dealt with challenging weather issues in severe and unpredictable conditions. Capt. Steven Olson said he was able to focus on these missions because of the outpouring of support from the communities through churches, schools and friends. Their support -- from phone calls checking on his pregnant wife to neighbors fixing a broken car -- helped him stay "emotionally ready" for his mission. He said he was grateful for phone cards that people had sent in during the Christmas and New Year's holidays because these cards provide the best gift ever -- hearing their families' voices. It is indeed a humbling thing to hear these stories and to be reminded of the work they perform on a daily basis. It's also comforting to know that people in our country support these outstanding men and women and their 'thank you' is heartfelt.