Evanston 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 - Senior Airman Robert Lee, a vehicle operator with the 70th Medium Truck Detachment, recently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia from the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

Lee, a native of Evanston, Ill., directly impacts Operation New Dawn in a big way - by bringing supplies out of the Iraq.

Each day, Lee 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.

"As truckers, we're the first in to a country and the first out," said Lee, who's also a lead navigator and radio technician for the convoy. "I take pride in my job and what we do here."

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.

Lee is on his third deployment to this location and has been in the Air Force for almost five years.

• Date Taken: 11.01.2011
• Date Posted: 11.12.2011 05:19
• Story ID: 79941
• Location: IQ