Remembering Three Airmen

December 10, 1999, 16 years ago today, a C-130 transport carrying 86 military personnel and 8 crew landed short of the runway at the Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, causing the landing gear to puncture the fuselage killing 3 and injuring 17. 


The airmen we lost that day were:

Capt. Michael D. Geragosian

Airman 1st Class Benjamin T. Hall 

Airman 1st Class Warren T. Willis

We remember and honor them. The families of these men were forever changed. The loss felt then is no less now. Time changes, but the memories never fade, the pain may be different, but it remains.

We also think of the 91 others on board that day. They lost friends. They suffered injuries. Their outlook was affected, but their missions remained. They were forced, by duty, by honor, to continue on. I suspect that many of them, in the midst of pain and loss, had a renewed sense of purpose. Some probably dedicated their service to those lost. We lift them up and thank them for carrying on.

To those lost, we can not thank you enough for your service and the sacrifice you paid. We will never forget you. We take comfort in the fact that you died doing something that you deemed worthy. We are thankful for the freedoms that you played such a role in. We shall never take it for granted.