Travis Roberts in Israel, (Photo Courtesy: Travis Roberts)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Green Bay man spent time in and out of bomb shelters while he was stuck in Israel at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.
Travis Roberts and 32 other men from around the world were in Israel for a mission trip helping farmers when the initial U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran were launched. Epic Fury started about 48 hours before the group was scheduled to return home.
“We woke up around 6 o’clock in the morning. Just this atrocious rumble through the air woke pretty much all of us up. We went outside and you could just see large formations of Israeli and American fighter jets heading towards Iran. So, we knew at that moment that war was just moments away,” said Roberts.
Next, came Iranian retaliation. Roberts’ took cell phone video of missiles over Jerusalem.
“It was about an hour, hour and 15 minutes after we saw those fighter jets flying overhead that we saw alerts coming across our phone — air raid sirens. So, we were forced into bomb shelters, and within the next 36 hours, we were in the bomb shelter about 24 times,” said Roberts. “I think that there was a lot of confusion, but immediately afterwards, when we all kind of came into the bomb shelter and you looked around, you knew that you weren’t alone.”
Roberts previously served in the U.S. military, but he said this felt different. He attributed that feeling to being in that situation for a reason other than his service.
Roberts brought took home a piece of shrapnel.
“This is a piece of shrapnel. So, this was after air raid sirens went off. We went into the storm shelter and went outside, and this was sitting right in front of the storm shelter. There were several pieces. I was only able to bring one home with me,” he said.
In order for the group to get home, they first had to get out of Israel.
Roberts said, “It was about a seven, eight-hour drive through Israel with a bulletproof bus. We had missiles getting shot down by the Iron Dome system over our heads, alerts going on the entire time. Finally, crossing into Egypt.”
Four days after he was originally supposed to depart from Tel Aviv, Roberts caught a flight from Egypt to Turkey to Chicago.
Roberts said he returned home Friday with a new perspective.
“It was kind of this realization too, that in the United States, we’re so blessed that this is abnormal for us. But in Israel, this is the norm. This is something that they have to live with on a regular basis. So, as we go about our normal day, even being back in the United States, being back in Green Bay — I’m constantly being reminded that there’s still families or still children that are hunkering down in bomb shelters right now.”
Roberts said he was the last one of the HaYovel group to get on a flight home.
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