Officials at Arnold AFB, Tenn., in late June dedicated an F-16 on static display at the base to Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Harpe, the highest ranking active duty officer ever to die in an F-16. Harpe was killed on Dec. 5, 1988, when his F-16 crashed in Madrid, Spain, during a routine training mission. At the time, he was commander of 16th Air Force, a component of US Air Forces in Europe. “America needs heroes” like Harpe, said Col. Eugene Mittuch, vice commander of the Arnold Engineering Development Center, at the dedication ceremony. The F-16, he continued, “will stand as a testament to his memory and to all those who have given their lives building the greatest Air Force the world has ever known.” (Arnold report by Joel Fortner)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.