Rita doesn’t prevent happy homecoming

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Catharine Schmidt
  • Air Force Print News
HOUSTON --  Senior Airman Leah Saldivar waited with excitement for her father, Master Sgt. Florencio Saldivar, to depart the plane that brought him home from Balad Air Base, Iraq. It had only been a few days since she had last seen him. Airman Saldivar had returned from the same deployment only a few days earlier -- just in time to evacuate her home here to avoid Hurricane Rita.

She arrived Sept. 20 and left for San Antonio on Sept. 21. As soon as she heard when her father was coming home, she returned to greet him on the flightline at nearby Ellington Field.

“I would’ve driven through the hurricane itself to be here for him,” Airman Saldivar said.

This was the case for many families of guardsmen with the 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington. One hundred thirty-four Airmen came home Sept. 25, many to be greeted by families who could not return to their homes because of the hurricane aftermath. Some Airmen walked off the plane not having anyone to hug, but still glad their families were safe wherever they were.

Staff Sgt. Joe Pina’s wife, Mary Jane, and 5-year-old-son, Isiaiah, left their home to weather the storm at Ellington Field. After two-and-a-half days on the Air National Guard base, they were getting their things ready to go home when they found out Sergeant Pina would be returning that night.

The Pinas have been through a lot since Sergeant Pina left for Balad. While taking care of Isiaiah, who is autistic, Mrs. Pina was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to break the news to her husband over the phone. The Pinas then had to prepare for a hurricane that was said to be the third-worst hurricane in recorded history -- a hurricane headed straight for their home.

“He’s been so great through all of this,” Mrs. Pina said. “When we found out the hurricane was coming, I asked him what I should do. He said, ‘I trust you. Anything you do, I’m right behind you. I know you’re going to do great.’”

“When we heard about the hurricane, we had just finished up the mission and were ready to get home to our families,” Sergeant Pina said.

And get home is exactly what these Airmen did.

“Words don’t describe seeing my family right now,” Sergeant Pina said. “I’m really glad to be home and proud of the work we did over there.”

Master Sgt. Elizabethe Yzaguirre was also on the flightline to greet her husband, Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Yzaguirre. She had evacuated about 100 miles away to Bryan-College Station, Texas. Due to heavy traffic, it took her about 17 hours to get to her destination. When she found out her husband was coming home, she braved the roads again even while knowing their home had no electricity.

Misti Roy and her three children evacuated to San Antonio on Sept. 21 and returned to Houston on Sept. 24. On the way home, Mrs. Roy received a call letting her know her husband, Tech. Sgt. W.T. Roy, would be arriving at Ellington Field.

“If we hadn’t been able to leave when we did, we would have gotten on the roads anyway to be here for him,” Mrs. Roy said.

While many families were able to get back home to greet their loved ones, some were not. Master Sgt. Joseph Reding’s family was in Dallas waiting to find out for sure if it was safe to return home.

“I just wanted them to get out of here as safe as possible,” Sergeant Reding said. “I told them not to worry about anything and just go.”

Sergeant Reding said he is thankful his family is safe but is anxious to be able to see them after being away for two months.

While the Airmen are thankful to be reunited with their families, not even an hour after getting off the plane they said they are ready for another mission -- to provide support to their home state of Texas’ hurricane-relief operations.