143rd Transportation Command

Story by 1st Lt. Ryan Pace

by 1st Lt. Ryan J. Pace
143D Transcom (FWD) Public Affairs Officer

Kuwait – Staff Sgt. Jonathan Collazo, and his son, Sgt. Jonathan Collazo were able to spend a day together during their concurrent deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Collazo, of Plant City, Florida, is currently serving in Iraq with the 651st MP Company of Florida's National Guard. He also returns to combat service for his second tour, following a tour in Vietnam in 1971.

Staying in touch with his son, the two coordinated a meeting on a hot afternoon, to spend some time catching up and prepare for another deployment in the family.

"It's great to see him," said Collazo Sr., "Hopefully we'll meet again soon."

Sgt. Collazo, of Orlando, Florida serves in Air Operations with the 143rd Transportation Command in Kuwait. He is serving his first tour of duty in Kuwait as a newly promoted Sergeant.

In speaking with Sgt. Collazo he hinted on his father's influence on his military career.

"There's many reasons why I joined," said Collazo, "but mostly because of my father and the opportunities that the Army offered me after high school."

The last time the Collazo's met was during Staff Sgt. Two-week leave of duty in Puerto Rico. Staff Sgt. Collazo also is originally from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where the Collazo family is from.

In speaking with the Collazo's, they also hint on the similarities between the two during their military careers. For Staff Sgt. Collazo, he mobilized out of Fort Bliss, Texas in 1971- headed to Vietnam to serve his country. Some 35 years later, his son now follows the same path as he has mobilized out of Fort Bliss, to serve his country in Kuwait.

Staff Sgt. Collazo served on active duty during the 1970's, before a break in service, and returned as a guardsman in 1995. When not on Army duty, he also works as a social worker with the abuse and neglect department for the state of Florida, assisting senior citizens and nursing homes.

Sgt. Collazo joined the Army Reserves in 2003 and currently works as an IT specialist and independent contractor, as well as, attending Valencia Community College full-time as a Computer Science major.

Once back home, the two have plans to continue to practice boxing, play football, go fishing and skydive, but will share another common bond as U.S. Army Veterans and part of a long family legacy of military service.

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