From the Armed Forces

From the armed forces

•Air Force Staff Sgt. Victor J. Lopez, son of Joyce Kelley, Hoffman Estates, recently served on a mission to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lopez is an aerospace medical service technician who recently returned to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, after a deployment where he provided health care.

Sixty-mile-an-hour sandstorms, 130-degree heat and months without seeing family and friends were some of the things Lopez endured, as well as the added threats of roadside bombs, ambushes and a host of infectious diseases.

"I provided health care to the flying community and assisted the expeditionary medical clinic with acute health care as well as provided aeromedical evacuation support to those who needed a higher level of care that couldn't be met at our deployed location," said Lopez, a 1995 graduate of Hoffman Estates High School.

The men and women at Dyess make up the 7th Bomb Wing, a B-1B Lancer bomber unit. Airmen at Dyess were deployed at numerous locations throughout the region, ranging from an island in the Indian Ocean to outlying operating bases north of Baghdad.

Air Force participation in the war on terror includes more than dropping bombs on a target. Close air support for soldiers on the ground, convoy duty, detainee operations, explosive ordnance disposal, medical care, and security forces operations are routine duties for Air Force personnel.

"By keeping the flying community healthy, we were better able to support the ground troops by putting bombs on target and providing close-air support for the troops on the ground," said Lopez.

"I missed my wife the most, and it was especially tough because this was my first deployment," he said. "The first thing I did was give my wife a big hug and a kiss, then stop by for hot dogs at Portillo's in downtown Chicago."