S. Sgt. Donald R. Hoskins Jr., 34, grew up in Arlington Heights and is a 1987 graduate of Lockland High School. His home base is Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, N.M., where he lives with his wife, Sarah, and stepdaughter, Dakota. His children, Sierra, 9, and Kendrick, 5, live with their mother in Reading. He is the son of Donald Sr. and Barbara Hoskins of Union, Ky.

According to his mother:

Don has been in the Air Force for about 12 years. He is mechanic and a dedicated Crew Chief of the Wing Commander's Stealth Fighter (F17). He left the U.S. on Feb. 2 and is serving in Saudi Arabia.

On a tree in our front yard is a large yellow ribbon, and each day that he has been deployed, we put an additional yellow ribbon on the tree.

We are so very very proud of him.

E-mails stopped once the first bomb was dropped but he is able to call his wife through the base and she e-mails messages to his family here.