Sondestorm is an early warning detachment.
“Our job was to monitor Russia,” Nelson said. “We were the back door keepers for the United States. If Russia were to launch something, we were the first point of intelligence to let the Pentagon know.”
At Sondrestom, Nelson applied for and received a special duty assignment as Air Postal Chief. Under his watch, Sondrestom won the Postal Service of the Year Award. It was the first time a Senior Airman E4 had received the award.
Nelson’s final assignment was stateside at Warner Robins Air Force Base, 5th Mobility Combat Unit.
The 5th Mobility is a combat ready unit which entails being prepared to ship out at a moment’s notice.
“Back when Honduras and the Sandinista government were going at it,” explained Nelson, “President Bush said we were getting ready to go, but we had to wait. We had a massive build up.
“I was at my apartment and I got a phone call. ‘Sgt. Nelson, report back to base. We’re getting ready to to go over. Bring your bags.’” Nelson is emotional remembering the call to his new wife of six months telling her he was leaving. He couldn’t tell her where he was going nor when or if he would return.
Fortunately for Nelson, they did not ship out.
As his enlistment term was winding down, Desert Storm was picking up. Nelson had to make the difficult decision of whether or not to re-up.
“I debated and debated because my friends were there,” Nelson recalled.
In the end, he chose not to re-enlist.
“My friends went over,” Nelson said, fighting back tears. “They came back sick with cancer, with bad lymph nodes, all those things. Their children had birth defects. Something was in those chemicals.
“When Saddam Hussein lit those oil reserves and they were spewing into the air, we (the United States) couldn’t get to them to shut them down, so they just went up, plumes and plumes of smoke. I think it was done on purpose to get the chemicals in the air. A lot of my friends came back with cancer.”
Nelson’s anguish is palpable as he continues, “I feel it was my duty to go, but I got selfish.”
Nelson spends much of his time these days helping veterans navigate the complex paperwork needed to receive their military benefits.
“Filing the paperwork is a long, tedious process,” Nelson says. “The vets get frustrated and give up. I try to help them. There’s a lot of red tape to guard against fraud.”
Over the past two years, Nelson says he has helped 30 veterans.
“That’s not enough,” he says.
Nelson also serves the community as the District 5 City Commissioner.
“I love helping people. I hate to see someone get taken advantage of,” Nelson explains.
“Being stationed overseas taught me a lot of people are without, and that has stayed with me.”
Nelson says of his military time, “We have it good. I wish more people knew that. I love that I protected that good.
“I wouldn’t have changed it. The military has taught me to look at the bigger picture.”
Nelson recently found out by accident, while filing other government paperwork, he is the recipient of an Air Force Air Medal. An Air Medal is given for taking fire from the ground while in the air.
He didn’t realize what he had done was special “It was just part of the job,” said Nelson.
