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The Afro-American, September 28, 2013 - October 4, 2013
Andrews AFB Welcomes Troops from Southeast Asia By Byron Scott Special to the AFRO Little Elias Pena and his sisters, Vicky and Anne,
459th Air refueling wing arrives at Andrews AFB and soldiers greet each other
were told they were going to Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 23 to pick up a family friend. What the children weren’t told was
that their father, Sr. Airman Domingo Pena, was returning home from a deployment in Southeast Asia. The children weren’t the only ones in for a surprise. Pena wasn’t told that his family would be at Andrews to welcome him home. It wasn’t until the bus in which Pena and other returning airmen were riding drove past a hanger on the base that he realized his surprise. “I said, ‘Oh! They are here!’” Pena said of his children, 9, 7 and 5, respectively. It had been a lonely time for the aircraft mechanic without his children and wife.
The moment Pena stepped Three of the large off that bus, his children refueling planes returned to dashed into his arms. Andrews on Monday. The “It was difficult,” said first touched down at about Pena. “I missed the kids 10:15 in the morning. Jet everyday and the wife. It was engine mechanic P.J. Peters just difficult to be away for so long.” About 40 members of the 459th Air Refueling Wing were welcomed back home at a ceremony at the Prince George’s County military facility. Their mission to Southeast Asia, in support of Operation Enduring Soldiers collect their Freedom, baggage was to fly and maintain a fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, the large was on that first plane. He aircraft that can refuel other was greeted by his parents, planes and jets in-flight. wife and children, including They were deployed for four oldest daughter, Halley, who months. hugged him tight as she cried Aaron Snow, 27, works happy tears. on the plane’s guidance and “It feels great to be back,” control systems. The broad said Peters. smile on his face Sept. 23 said Like Snow, it was Peters’ it all. first deployment. He sought “It feels great to be home,” advice from his father, a he said. “It’s been a long time military retiree, about how to coming. I’m excited to be survive and even thrive while back with my family.” serving away from home. It was Snow’s first “Main thing I told him deployment and it took a was, ‘Do what the people while to adjust, he said. tell you. Do as you’re “It was over 100 told,’” Willie Peters, Jr. said. [degrees] every day,” he “’Remember your training said. “Normally with the heat and you won’t have any index, it was generally around problems.’” 120. I think the highest Peters’ mother, Karen, said [temperature] we had was 132 she worried every day about degrees with the heat index.” her 6’7’’ tall son. She became
particularly concerned when things began flaring up in Syria and there was talk of a military strike. Karen Peters, who spent 12 years in the Army, said she feared the
military might keep her son away even longer. “When things like that occur…we hold them in place, so I had a strong feeling that he might have been kept there,” she said. “They maintain soldiers where they are to see if they might be needed at some point. That was the scary part when Syria started becoming more active.” Fortunately, for Peters and the other members of the 459th, military action didn’t happen in the Middle East and they were able to come home. For that, Linda Snow, Aaron’s mother, was thankful. “The Lord took care of him,” she said. “I can sleep better knowing that he’s okay.”
Be Green
with
DPR
DC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
(202) 673-7647 dpr.dc.gov @dcdpr