CHOPPER PILOT RETURNS STARS AND STRIPES FLAG WAS TOUCH OF HOME ON MISSIONS.Byline: CONNIE
Connie is a British television drama made for ITV by Central Television and shown in 1985. LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Staff Writer SAUGUS -- He held the neatly folded bundle tightly as he walked through the door. "This place looks different," said Army Capt. Aaron Schilleci as he stepped into a lobby he didn't recognize. Twelve years had passed since Schilleci, an aviator who flies Apache Apache (əpăch`ē), Native North Americans of the Southwest composed of six culturally related groups. They speak a language that has various dialects and belongs to the Athabascan branch of the Nadene linguistic stock (see Native American helicopters, had set foot on the Saugus High School Saugus High School may refer to:
"I flew the flag in more than 50 missions, 15 of them combat missions," Schilleci said. "For all of us paratroopers, the flags are symbolic of getting to Iraq and back home safe." Having the flag back was nice, Bolde said as he carefully took it from Schilleci. But having his former student back was better. "It's good to have you home in one piece," Bolde told his former student. Bolde reminded Schilleci how pleased he was when he got the call from the 1995 grad, who asked for a flag to have while he was stationed in Iraq. Students got wind of Bolde's special delivery and it wasn't long before the entire school was collecting letters, pictures and boxloads of Girl Scout cookies to send to Schilleci. "It helped me and my buddies See buddy list. out a lot," Schilleci said. "It always felt great to get a piece of home when we were so detached de·tached adj. 1. Separated; disconnected. 2. Standing apart from others; separate. from normalcy nor·mal·cy n. Normality. Noun 1. normalcy - being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning normality out there." Schilleci admits that it's support from the people who are still home that keeps the troops focused. "It's nice to know that even in a time when there is so much negativity and talk about the government that people still support you," he said. It is also the relationships that soldiers leave behind that keep them going. Schilleci's wife, Rebecca, said she talked to her husband at least once a day while he was away. She relied on friends and family to stay positive about her husband's safe return and now that he's back, they have big plans ahead. "Maybe a family," she said. Schilleci's stop in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, is brief -- he is going to Virginia Virginia, state, United States Virginia, state of the south-central United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), North Carolina and Tennessee (S), Kentucky and West Virginia (W), and Maryland and the District of Columbia (N and NE). to be a company commander in charge of eight Apache choppers -- but he knows he'll be back. "The time I spent here shaped me," Schilleci said. "It got me in the direction of the path I'm on now." connie.llanos(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Aaron Schilleci, a 1995 Saugus High School graduate, presents Principal Bill Bolde with a U.S. flag that he brought with him as a helicopter pilot on missions over Iraq. Schilleci will soon begin training other helicopter pilots for combat. (2) Saugus High Principal Bill Bolde looks over a document presented to him by former student Aaron Schilleci, who flew Apache helicopter missions over Iraq. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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