Officials at Nellis
AFB, Nev., on July 13 dedicated a refurbished Airmen’s Center to A1C Jesse Samek, who was killed in October 2004 in Afghanistan when his HH-60 helicopter crashed during a rescue mission. Samek, who was a flight engineer with the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis, was the first base airman to die in the war on terror. The Samek Airmen’s Center is a recreation facility near the dormitories housing junior enlisted airmen. Samek’s mother, Julia Samek, attended the ceremony and said: “He was a pretty quiet kid, but he would have been honored to have the building named after him. He would have had pride that he could make a difference; almost as much pride as I have, to have been his mother.” (Nellis report by A1C Michael Charles)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
