Santa Fe native hauls U.S. out of Iraq

Photo By Jeffrey Allen | A U.S. Air Force M915 tractor from the 70th Medium Truck Detachment leads a convoy through Iraq with a load of equipment and supplies Oct. 30, 2011. With less than five miles left before crossing the Iraqi border, the convoy of 43 vehicles traveled 1,100 miles in seven days hauling equipment out of the country as part of an effort to meet the deadline for the U.S. military to transition out of Iraq.  

IRAQ

11.01.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 

United States Air Forces Central           

IRAQ - Tech. Sgt. David Perez, a vehicle operator and a convoy commander with the 70th Medium Truck Detachment, recently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia from the 377th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Kirkland Air Force Base, N.M.

Perez, a native of Santa Fe, N.M., has a job that allows for him to get out and impact Operation New Dawn in a big way - by bringing supplies out of Iraq.

Each day, Perez and members from his unit drive into Iraq to bring cargo, supplies and vehicles out of the country to support the withdraw of U.S. forces in the country.

"Getting to lead these men has been something I take serious, and that I enjoy," said Perez, who's on his third deployment here and fourth of his career. "It's my job to bring every one of my men home safe. It's not something I take lightly."

In recent months, the 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, which the 70th MTD belongs to, has increased its amount of missions trucking out cargo from Iraq by approximately 200 percent.

"When we first got here last month, the squadron was averaging about 11 missions per week," said Lt. Col. John O'Connor, 387th ELRS commander and native of Albany, Ga., before going on to say that the squadron is on track to average about 35 missions per month.

• Date Taken: 11.01.2011
• Date Posted: 11.12.2011 04:56
• Story ID: 79935
• Location: IQ