Pablo is your guy for a pizza pie - Pablo Andrews is back from serving his country to help feed JHU

The "Pizza Pimp" is back.

Or, if you prefer, the "Legend of the Crust" has returned. Pablo Andrews, the pizza man from the Domino's Pizza on Remington Ave., is back on his corner in front of Wolman.

Andrews started his shift eight years ago, when Domino's decided it would be a wise business venture to bring the pizza directly to Hopkins students on weekend nights as they returned to their dorm rooms. Now, Andrews is there every night, with pizza made specifically to sell outside Wolman.

But two years had gone by before Andrews returned to his post this semester. Most freshmen and sophomores had never seen him before. What exactly had Andrews been doing all this time?

On Sept. 11, Andrews was helping one of his National Guard sergeants lay carpet. His boss was listening to the radio, and told him it was time to leave work. Andrews says that his reaction to the events was anger: "I had a tear running out of my eye, I got to cussing them characters and I was really losing it ... I just had him take me home, got in the house, kind of sat there for a minute, and I started praying, that whoever did this mess, I hope that the Lord would find them, put an end to the madness."

Soon, antiterrorism classes started for his National Guard unit, and in a ceremony on Oct. 22, 2001, his unit mobilized.

His unit was stationed around the area as part of homeland security efforts. Many were at BWI airport, but were stationed at other places around the area, such as the Fifth army regiment armory.

Initially, Andrews was to be deployed in the Baltimore area. He notes that because he has custody of his two sons, he can be mobilized but not deployed out of the area.

Andrews, who has never married but was engaged, describes his sons' birth with pride in his eyes: "I got to touch both of them as they came out." His eldest, Baron Pablo is 18 and is a chef whom Andrews describes as surpassing himself. He currently works at his godfather's sister's deli in Luthersville, Md. His younger son, Bukido, often comes up to the Hopkins library. His big interest is car design.

"I'm their mom and dad -- Mr. Mom," Andrews explained.

"These two, when they're around the house ... they really surprise you just when your sitting there you figure everything is okay, and suddenly, bang -- they hit you with something," said Andrews, "Their intelligence is unreal."

Bukido was named after a martial arts teacher Andrews met overseas while he was stationed as a Marine in Okinawa. "In my excitement, when I said his name -- It was actually supposed to have been Bushido, but I said Bukido, and I stuck with it."

As he was being called up, Andrews tried to get the children's maternal grandmother to look after them while he was on orders. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding about the length of the stay ended those plans. After these efforts fell through, he went to see his first sergeant.

He recalls that the reaction from his superiors was supportive. His company commander, whom Andrews has known for the past decade, immediately helped him by getting him deployed locally to the Fifth regiment armory in downtown Baltimore.

His duties there included searching of visiting personnel, checking credentials, guard duty and security.

Andrews says that some in his unit were sent to Iraq, primarily in Motor Transport.

Though there is no danger of his being shipped there, Andrews broadly supports the action in Iraq. "It's only fair to the people," he said. "They got the right to be just the way America is ... the right to be able to fill their refrigerators full of food ... be able to sit in your house and watch TV and not worry about someone kicking your door in trying to go ahead and take you out because you know somebody or because you make a statement."

He also said that although he trusts the administration to have put a lot of thought into the situation, he does have some qualms. "I think if he'd gone in there in a humanitarian fashion it would have been better," said Andrews. "The folks presently in Iraq, a lot of them appreciate what's going on, and then you've got a great deal of them who don't."

From the armory, Andrews was off shift by 2 p.m., well before his sons were home.

Andrews, who turns 43 on Nov. 25, has returned to his pizza-selling and is glad to be back on "Team Remington" selling pizzas to Hopkins students.

Students "honestly don't believe I'm out here doing this," he said. Asked why he comes back, he said, "The motivation is you all." Frankly, though, he says he feels like he belongs. "If I'm looking for a comfort zone, this would be it."