JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - RANDOLPH, Texas –
In September 2016 Senior Airman and Puerto Rico native Jonathan Rodriguez-Maldonado, 502nd Comptroller Squadron finance technician, was deployed to Kuwait and returned to the United States in April 2017 with hopes of visiting his parents and other family in Puerto Rico later that year.
Before he could visit, Hurricane Maria devastated the island. The hurricane is considered the worst natural disaster Puerto Rico has ever seen. Because of the devastation and safety reasons Rodriguez was not permitted to visit his family.
“I know the reason the [Air Force] wouldn’t let me go was not because they didn’t want me to, but because they’re looking out for me because of how things were there,” said Rodriguez. “I definitely wouldn’t want to be put in a situation where something bad might happen just because I want to go there before I should [or before it’s safe].”
After almost two years of being separated from his family, Rodriguez was reunited with his family during the NCAA March Madness Final Four Music Festival on March 31.
“I knew eventually I would be coming back and seeing them again, but you always feel sad when you’re separated from your family through something like that,” said Rodriguez. “I haven’t been able to go back to the island because of everything that happened, but I’m very happy to see them again. I was not expecting this at all. I really appreciate my unit [and other sponsors] for doing this for me; it means a lot.”
The reunion was sponsored by Coca-Cola and with help from the San Antonio USO, and the 502nd CPTS.
“The USO through Coke asked for a military ‘story’ that could potentially develop into a sponsorship opportunity during the Final Four Fan Fest,” said Capt. Andrew Calloway, 502nd CPTS Financial Operations Flight commander. “The team put together a couple of paragraphs detailing Jonathan’s story and finalized the USO request on Friday afternoon. By Monday morning, Ms. Heather Krauss from the San Antonio USO called my office to begin coordination efforts with the family.”
“I was absolutely stunned and beyond excited to help get A’Rod’s family out to the great state of Texas,” Calloway said. “I called his father, Jose, that evening to explain the event, of course he accepted the invitation. I linked him with the USO team the next day (Tuesday). By Friday evening, Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez were on a driver flight to Texas. The rest is history.”