Capt Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr  Remembrance Day

10 Dec 2012, 8am * Clark (Field) Freeport Zone, Philippines

By Edgar J. LaBenne, Lt Col, USAF (retired)

I am so very pleased to be here today with you to remember Capt Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr.  Capt Kelly is widely considered the 1st American Hero of WWII.  Kelly was a West Point graduate from 1937.

My Message Today: 

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, for the lives of his crew.  

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, so you and I are here today in freedom. 

In the United State, we often refer to Capt Kelly and the millions of Americans who served during WWII are part of the “greatest generation”.  The “greatest generation” because of the sacrifices they gave over the 4 long years to defeat both Japan and Germany to regain freedom for the free world.  A war that saw over 60M people worldwide killed.  Including over half of million people here in the Philippines.

My personal connection to the “greatest generation” was my Dad, Raymond Edgar LaBenne, who served in WWII in the Army Air Corps in England maintaining bomber aircraft.  Also, my mom’s brother, my Uncle Russell Wallis Robinson, who served in the Army in Europe.

SACRIFICE.  SACRIFICE.

Only 3 days after the Japanese attacked Hawaii, Capt Kelly and his crew were given the mission to attack Japanese Navy vessels.  Amazingly, they were able to hit the Japanese cruiser, Natori, 3 times.  Unfortunately, the B17 was attacked on their way back to Clark Field by a group of Japanese Zeros, led by their greatest ACE, Saburō Sakai, who was recognized with shooting down 64 Allied planes during WWII.  A pilot is called an ACE when he has 5 confirmed aerial victories.

After his B-17 was disabled and on fire, Capt Kelly ordered his crew to bail out, while Capt Kelly, stayed in control of his aircraft to allow time for 6 crew members to successfully bail out of the B-17 and survive.  However, there was no time for Capt Kelly to save himself.  On 10 December 1941, at the age of 26, Capt Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr died flying his B-17 Flying Fortress.

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, for the lives of his crew.  

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, so you and I are here today in freedom. 

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

There are so many more who sacrificed for us.  You only need to drive past the Clark Veterans Cemetery to see the white crosses of both Americans and Filipinos who served and sacrificed for all of us.  Over 8,600 heros are buried there.

My second message today is always take time to “SHARE HISTORY WITH OUR YOUTH”.

Today I have my son here, Joshua Raymond LaBenne, named after his Lolo (my Dad) who served in WWII.  I delayed his arrival to school today for him to be here today to learn about the sacrifices others have made well before him.

We are so fortunate to live in Freedom.

Filipinos LOVE Freedom!

Americans LOVE Freedom!

I ask each of you here today to always try to take opportunities to “Educate our Youth”.  Our Youth need to understand and remember our past history, so to continue to protect the freedoms we share and enjoy.   We have neighbors in North Korea and China who are NOT FREE and their people do NOT even understand the concept of Freedom.  Freedom that our youth may take for granted, if we do not educate them.

Mayor and Guy, I am so thankful for this event.  This simple event to remember only 1 man, Capt Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr who represents the millions before and after him, many who sacrificed the ultimate, with their life, so that we can experience Freedom.

Before us, men like Capt Kelly gave their life to ensure that our youth and the generations to follow would be born in Freedom and live in Freedom.  Hopefully, my son will not need to go to war again to protect this Freedom.  But our youth must be aware of the past and if necessary protect the future.  Always conscience of the generations to follow.

John 15:13

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, for the lives of his crew.  

Capt Kelly sacrificed his life, so you and I are here today in freedom. 

Thank You Capt Kelly. (Salute)

************************************************************************

Below is Edgar LaBenne and Joshua LaBenne, next to the statue of Capt Colin P. Kelly, Jr on the former Clarkfield, Philippines.

Wearth laying ceremony at the Capt Coin P. Kelly, Jr., memorial at Clark Field, Pampanga on the anniversary of his death. Great ceremony with school kids, band, 21-gun salute, 4 WWII jeeps, six (6) reenactors — wow it was a so well organized.

On December 10th 1941, the surviving19th Bomb Group B-17s returned to the damaged Clark Field to load bombs. Captain Colin Kelly had managed to only get three 600lb bombs aboard when the air raid alarm was sounded. Kelly took off immediately, heading for enemy ships off the coast of Luzon.

Having located a landing force approaching the coast off Appari, Kelly selected the largest ship in the flotilla, the heavy cruiser Ashigara, scoring a direct hit bombing from 22,000 feet. Heading towards Clark Air Field, Kelly descended through broken cloud to 11,000 feet where his B-17 was jumped by a flight of 10 Japanese Zero fighters, attacking one by one in line astern. One burst of enemy fire went right through the middle of the aircraft taking the life of Kelly’s flight engineer and setting the aircraft on fire. With the aircraft mortally damaged and still under attack, Kelly ordered his crew to bail out while he held the aircraft steady. The aircraft exploded throwing the co-pilot Donald Robins clear. The B-17 came down in pieces with the gallant skipper still at the controls. He had no chance of survival.

Captain Colin Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Robert Taylor depicts Kelly’s B-17 under heavy attack from Zero fighters led by Japanese Ace, Saburo Sakai. Sakai later said “Out of ammunition, I flew alongside the B-17 and saw the pilot trying to save the burning aircraft after allowing his crew to escape. I have tremendous respect for him.”

From Oliver Art Gallery (Painting and Details)

Thank You All Veterans!

It is Veteran’s Day in the United States (most other countries call it Remembrance Day or Armistice Day or Poppy Day).  Prior to the Korean War, the United States called this day Armistice Day). Ceremonies are held worldwide at the 11 hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month (11 Nov) for all Veterans, dead and alive.  This time, 11am / 11th day / 11 month, marked the date and time hostilities ended the First World War.  Below is the Poem by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae that made the Poppy Flower famous.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Later on a second poem referencing to “Poppy Red” was inspired by “In Flanders Fields”.   Titled “We Shall Keep the Faith” is a poem penned by Moina Michael in November 1918.  She received inspiration for this poem from “In Flanders Fields”.  The “poppy red” refers to Papaver rhoeas (the scientific name of the Poppy Red).  Ironically, Moina Michael was also instrumental in wearing the Poppy Red as a symbol to remember the Veterans who died during the First World War and is the symbol used today for the dead of all wars (see below).

We Shall Keep the Faith by Moina Michael

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet – to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a lustre to the red

Of the flower that blooms above the dead

In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red

We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught;

We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought

In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields we fought

“In Flanders Fields” is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially unsatisfied with his work, discarded it.

John McCrae was a poet and physician from Guelph, Ontario.  He developed an interest in poetry at a young age and wrote throughout his life.  His earliest works were published in the mid-1890s in Canadian magazines and newspapers.  McCrae’s poetry often focused on death and the peace that followed.

At the age of 41, McCrae enrolled with the Canadian Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War. He had the option of joining the medical corps due to his training and age, but volunteered instead to join a fighting unit as a gunner and medical officer.   It was his second tour of duty in the Canadian military. He previously fought with a volunteer force in the Second Boer War.  He considered himself a soldier first; his father was a military leader in Guelph and McCrae grew up believing in the duty of fighting for his country and empire.

McCrae fought in the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium where the German army launched one of the first chemical attacks in the history of war.  They attacked the Canadian position with chlorine gas on April 22, 1915, but were unable to break through the Canadian line which held for over two weeks.  In a letter written to his mother, McCrae described the battle as a “nightmare”: “For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally.  In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds ….. And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way.”   Alexis Helmer, a close friend, was killed during the battle on May 2, 1915.  McCrae performed the burial service himself, at which time he noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those who died at Ypres.  The next day, he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance.

ORIGINAL HAND WRITTEN POEM OF IN FLANDERS FIELDS

Thank you to all the Veterans who gave their lives!  I will not forget.

NOTE:  Some information and images were drawn from the wikipedia.

Lt. Commander Wayne Woodrow Hayes of the United States Navy in 1944

Yes, Woody is known for his coaching, but many do not know of his military service during World War II. Woody enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1941, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.  He asked for active duty and served his country for five years.  Woody could have stayed at Naval Station Great Lakes outside Chicago for the whole war, but he volunteered for sea duty.

“People talk about how devoted Woody is to football,” Mrs. Hayes once observed. “He was just as dedicated to the Navy. Why, we had been married only five days when he asked for sea duty. He didn’t get it at once, but he did request it. Stevie was nearly nine months old before Woody saw him for the first time.”

In 1946, he was honorably discharged as a lieutenant commander, having commanded the PC 1251 in the Palau Island invasion and having served on the destroyer escort Rinehart in both the Atlantic and Pacific operations.

Throughout his coaching career, military icons, in fact, played a large part in the manner in which his teams operated, down to running plays being named “Patton” for General George Patton. Former Ohio State All-American fullback Pete Johnson remarked, “Patton #1 through #6—those were all my plays.”

Woody commanded USS Ukiah (PCC-1251) a  Control Submarine Chaser and saw combat in the Palau Island invasion.

Woody also commanded the destroyer-escort USS Rinehart in both Atlantic and Pacific operations, with a crew of 15 officers and 201 enlisted.

Woody Hayes (on right facing camera) taking command of the USS Rinehart from Captain Engle during World War II, ca. 1943. Hayes enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1941, and obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander during World War II. He commanded PC 1251 in the Palau Islands invasion and the destroyer-escort USS Rinehart in both the Atlantic and Pacific operations. Born Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes in Clifton, Ohio, in 1913.

Woody Hayes with a group of fellow officers on board the USS Rinehart during World War II, ca. 1943. Hayes enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1941, and obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander during World War II. He commanded PC 1251 in the Palau Islands invasion and the destroyer-escort USS Rinehart in both the Atlantic and Pacific operations.

Woody Hayes playfully trying to move an anchor on the deck of the USS Rinehart, a ship he commanded during his service with the United States Navy in World War II, ca. 1943.

Great video of Woody from a BBC Documentary and you can see his military background was an influence on his coaching and life.

WOODY VISITED THE TROOPS IN VIETNAM 4 TIMES!

During the Vietnam War, he made four trips overseas to visit with and entertain deployed servicemen and women.

 Hayes is pictured with Col. David E. Ott, an expert on field artillery tactics in Vietnam.

Hayes in Vietnam, 1967

 Hayes made four separate trips to Vietnam during the war to support and entertain the U.S. troops.

Hayes in Vietnam, 1967

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes A legendary college football coach, Woody served as the head coach at his Alma Mater, Denison University for three seasons (1946–1948), and at Miami (Ohio) University (1949–1950), before joining The Ohio State University in 1951 where, for 28 seasons, he led the Buckeyes to three national championships, 13 Big Ten Conference titles, 8 Rose Bowl appearances, and a record 205 wins, 61 losses and 10 ties. Over his full coaching career, Woody amassed a record 238 wins, 72 losses and 10 ties.

NOTE:  Information about and specific comments made by Woody Hayes and others were drawn from the following sources: Woody Hayes: The Man & His Dynasty, edited by Mike Bynum; I Remember Woody: Recollections of The Man They Called Coach Hayes, by Steve Greenberg and Dale Ratermann; and Woody Hayes and the 100-Yard War by Jerry Brondfield; and The Ohio State University Library.

Life is NOT fair.  The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can enjoy life. 

   – Raymond Edgar Dourlet LaBenne

That is pretty close to what my Dad would tell me growing up (and more then once).  Now I actually love this line.  It is an absolute classic.  And frankly, it is true!  Funny how we end up like our parents.  LOL.  I tell my kids the say line from time to time.  Sure in a perfect world everything is fair.  But the reality is, it is a tough world that we live in and you need to adapt yourself for the times when you feel cheated, let down, or unappreciated.

So when you get frustrated, is look in the mirror and ask:

“Did I do my best?”

“Am I happy with how I handled myself?”

“Would I have done it differently?”

Chances are you did the best you could.  Things just did not work out as you planned or hoped.  Accept it and move on, being positive about life.

Inside I laugh when I see others getting upset and bent out of shape over something they cannot control and complaining “life is NOT fair” or “that is NOT fair”.  Had they only been in my house growing up, they would have already known:  Life is NOT fair.  The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can enjoy life. 

Thanks Dad!  I miss you!  Happy Father’s Day!  Love, Ed

A photo with my Dad, Raymond Edgar LaBenne outside our house in Mount Vernon, Ohio.  At my side are my kids, Joshua Raymond (named after my Dad) and Mary Louise (named after my Mom).  NOTE TO SELF – notice the exceptional clothing combination on my Dad, Notre Dame hat and Ohio State sweatshirt (a proud Ohio Catholic).  Hmmmm, I could match that same style today!!! LOL  Like father, like son.

Growing up, my best friend was Bill Harnesberger.  He lived next door and we did everything together.  One day I found my Dad’s Army Air Corps uniforms from World War II in the attic.  Bill’s Dad had served in the Air Force as well in the 1950’s.  Notice we were even wearing the neck ties.  This photo was taken in my house, Bill to the left and me on the right.

There was no PSP, 360, iPad, or computers; we played outside for hours everyday and there was no cell phone to text to come home.  Dinner time was 6PM and you better be inside the house by 6PM.

It was common in my neighborship to play “war” games in the woods and fields near our houses.  My Dad from time to time would tell me growing up he was a 5 star General!  Wow. My Dad was a 5 star general!  Well shortly after I found my Dad’s military uniforms, I was out and about wearing his old uniform. I was with a bunch of other kids and someone called my Dad a liar!  They said my Dad was NOT a 5 star General and he and I were both liars.  Now family honor was at stake and I ended up in a fist fight.  A little scraped up, but my pride intact.  When my Dad got home from work, I was questioned on my daily activities and what in the world happened?  I explained I got in a fight because one of the kids did not believe me when I told them you were a 5 star General.  My Dad’s face dropped, and I knew something was not right.  It was then, he had to tell me that he was not a 5 star General.  Opps.

Sometimes parents may tell kids things in good nature fun.  I did with my kids too!  When American Idol was only a few years old, we watched it as a family, cheering for our respective contestant.  I often would tell my kids, Joshua and Mary, I was going to be the next American Idol after I retired from the Air Force.  They proudly would tell their friends and anyone coming over to the house.  One evening in Belgium, Capt Ken Main was visiting from Brunssum, Netherlands, another NATO HQ, and we had him to the house for dinner and watch American Idol.  Sure enough, Joshua and Mary starting telling Ken that I was going to be the next American Idol after I retired from the Air Force.  Now Ken knew the competition age limit was 29 years old and I was well past that age.  Ken was about to tell my kids, and I quickly kicked him under the table and gave him “the look”.  My secret was safe for another year.

Well maybe in it just wishful thinking, to be a General or the next American Idol.  I need to think of another storyline to come up with for youngest two kids, Kevin, 8 and Gigi, 6, before they are too old too know Dad is pulling a fast one … hope Kevin does not get into a fist fight to save my honor.  LOL

For food, for raiment

For life, for opportunity

For friendship and fellowship

We thank thee, O Lord. Amen.

The Traditional Grace used at Philmont Scout Ranch, in New Mexico, is also known as the Wilderness Grace, or the Worth Ranch Grace. It is attributed to Jerry Fulkerson from the Worth Ranch Scout Camp in Texas.

In 1979, I was 14 years old and I had the opportunity to take an Amtrak Train from Columbus, Ohio to Raton, New Mexico to go to the Philmonth Scout Ranch. The mecca of the Boy Scouts. Wow what an experience; mentally and physically. From the first meal at the Dining Hall, and each of the 10-days backpacking for over 60 miles on the trails, we said the Philmont Grace. A simple beautiful prayer that I used throughout my Scouting years, as a youth and adult. Even today, 34 years later, I fondly recite the Philmont Grace.

Edgar LaBenne, summer 1979 at Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico.

PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s 137,000 acre High Adventure base near Cimarron, NM. Trekkers will be members of 7-to-12 person crews backpacking through the Sangre de Christo range of the Rocky Mountains in north central New Mexico. Memories from your 11-day backpacking adventure will last a lifetime. Archery, black powder and 30.06 rifle shooting, fishing, blacksmithing, mountain biking, homesteading, gold panning, and summiting peaks legendary in BSA lore are just a few of the activities you may encounter at the ranch. Trek itineraries cover from 60 to 100 miles and are classified as challenging, rugged, strenuous, and super strenuous. Join the trip and see bear, elk, deer, turkey, etc. as you hike through areas originally used by Native Americans and trappers hundreds of years ago. Philmont is an amazing place.

From June 1997 to June 1999, I served in Korea.  In the restrooms where Americans would frequent (ok mostly bars outside the military bases), there were various names that included the word “tour” (short for tour of duty), usually 12 months remote (which means without any dependents/family) or for some, 24 months if you were approved to take your family.

Here were some of my favorites:

My Liver Hurts Tour 1997

Kimchee Tour 1997

Sogu? What Happened Tour 1997

Golden Gate 1996

Face Down in a Benjo Ditch Tour 1995

So after having spent a couple weeks on the road in Korea, a few of us created the first hat, Road Crew Tour 98.  I thought this would be fun to create a hat with a few of my friends.  After that I created others with the embroidery shop at the corner of  Aragon Alley and the walking street in Songtan.  All of the hats except for one, were made in Korea and created manually by a master sewer.  The highest number of one hat design was 33 of Thunder Run Tour 99 and 14 of the Gater Tour 98.  You can see the design on the front, several of the hats had messages sewn on the left and right sides and your nickman on the back.

Nearly 30 years passed hearing this story over and over through the years. I actually tried a few times to find out what game it was (the opponent and score), but I did not even know the year. After my Uncle died, my Aunt Marge (sister of my Dad) moved to my hometown of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Several years later after my Aunt died and my Dad was in the nursing home with Alzheimer’s, I found a cigar box with small momentous. Inside, I found the ticket stub, NOTRE DAME vs NAVY, 4 Nov 1950, Cleveland Stadium. Notre Dame won, 19-10. I miss hearing my Dad telling me that story, but seeing the ticket stub brings back happy memories. GO IRISH!

The SAC (Air Force) ramp at Diego Garcia, Jan 1991.  Eight (8) KC-135 tankers, Four (4) KC-10 tankers and Twenty-One (21) B-52 bombers.  In the back far right, you can see the tents city for USAF personnel deployed.

 January 17, 1991:  B-52Gs take off on bombing missions over Iraq on the first night of OPERATION DESERT STORM.  Each bomber normally has six (6) aircrew members.

February 3, 1991:  B-52G, tail number 59-2593, from 42nd Bomb Wing, Loring AFB, under command of the 4300d Bomb Wing (Provisional), experiences a catastrophic electrical system failure while returning from a bombing mission over Iraq.  At least five of its eight engines flame out, and the aircraft crashes into the Indian Ocean 2-3 miles north of the island.  An aircrew from 97th Bomb Wing, Eaker AFB, ejects at a low altitude (between 1,000 and 200 feet above the water), and although three crew members eject safely, three others, Captain Jeffry J. Olson, First Lieutenant Jorge I. Arteaga, and First Lieutenant Eric D. Heeden, are killed on impact or drowned.

I was deployed to Diego Garcia for 207 days back in 1991 from Eaker AFB as a Contingency Contracting Officer.  The aircrew of the doomed B-52G was from my base.  Capt Jeff Olson was my friend and often we would meet at the Officers’ Club on a Friday night to play table shuffleboard.  One of the great actions I was able to do during my deployment was to buy the marker above to honor the three who gave their lives.  Unfortunately the bodies of Captain Jeffry J. Olson and First Lieutenant Jorge I. Arteaga were not recovered.  This marker is the closest one could be placed to where the aircraft crashed.

Above is the ceremony on Veterans Day 1991 to dedicate the marker to the B52G aircrew killed in an accident on 3 Feb 1991 in the Indian Ocean.  The marker honors Captain Jeffry J. Olson, First Lieutenant Jorge I. Arteaga, and First Lieutenant Eric D. Heeden.  The location of market is at the Point Marianne Cemetery on Diego Garcia.

The red marker designates the location of the Point Marianne Cemetery.  You can see the full runway.  The water to the left of the runway is the Indian Ocean, the water on the right of the runway is the lagoon of the atoll.

Jeffry Jon Olson – ND (27) Gulf War

Captain, United States Air Force

Duty: Radar Navigator

United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), Class of 1985

Birth: 1963-04-05 — Mountain Home AFB, Idaho // Died at 27on 1991-02-03

Place of Death:  Indian Ocean, off the coast of Diego Garcia

Cause of Death: Killed, Non Hostile: Plane crash

Home of Record State: North Dakota

Son of Dr. Jean A. (née Lierbo) and Lieutenant Colonel Norris O. Olson. Younger brother of Marc Norris Olson. Norris served in Vietnam out of Clark Air Base, Philippines and Danang, Vietnam, 1965-1967. His father (class of 1959) and his brother (class of 1983) were also both graduates of the United States Air Force Academy. Jeffry was raised mainly in Grand Forks, North Dakota with his family, which also included younger sister Tara Lynn.

Jeffry graduated from Red River High School in Grand Forks in 1981, the USAFA, Colorado Springs, in 1986, and earned a Master’s degree in operations management in 1989 from the University of Arkansas.

He married Cheryl S. Bono in Blytheville, Arkansas, on 11 January 1989. Blytheville was the home of one of Jeffry’s station stops, Eaker Air Force Base.

Jeffry died when his B-52G, tail number 59-2593, suffered a catastrophic electrical system failure. The crew had just flown a sortie to Iraq as part of Desert Storm and was returning to base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The six crew members ejected at a low altitude and three of them either died on impact with the water or drowned.

Posthumous recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and National Defense Medal.

Jorge Isaac Arteaga – CT (26) Gulf War

Captain, United States Air Force

Duty: Bombardier/Navigator

Birth: 1964-07-22 — La Paz, Bolivia // Died at 26 on 1991-02-03

Place of Death:  Indian Ocean, off the coast of Diego Garcia

Cause of Death: Killed, Non Hostile: Plane crash

Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Plot: Section MH Marker 512

Home of Record State: Connecticut

Son of Magda and Enrique J. Arteaga. The Arteaga family had moved to Pittsburgh when Enrique went to work for U.S. Steel as Senior Geoligist. While Jorge was in college, Enrique lived in Trumbull, Connecticut while working at the United Nations in New York City as a liaison officer to the Bolivian government. Enrique, a native Bolivian, was trained as geologist, and he then moved back to La Paz, Bolivia in 1987 to continue working with Bolivian government in the mining industry.

Jorge graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987, with a degree in Computer Science, and also attended Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

He married Emily Marie Gardner, from Memphis, Tennessee, in Blytheville, Arkansas on 14 January 1991, just two hours before Jorge went to Eaker Air Force Base to fly overseas.

Jorge died when his B-52G, tail number 59-2593, suffered a catastrophic electrical system failure. The crew had just flown a sortie to Iraq as part of Desert Storm and was returning to base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The six crew members ejected at a low altitude and three of them either died on impact with the water or drowned.

Arteaga was posthumously promoted to captain. Emily remarried.

Eric Douglas Hedeen – WA (27) Gulf War

First Lieutenant, United States Air Force

Duty:  Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO); RADAR Jammer

Birth: 1963-12-01 // Died at 27 on 1991-02-03

Place of Death:  Indian Ocean, off the coast of Diego Garcia

Cause of Death: Killed, Non Hostile: Plane crash

Interment:  Evergreen Memorial Park, East Wenatchee, Douglas County, Washington, USA

Home of Record State:  Washington

Son of Dolores I. “Dee” and Gerald R. “Jerry”, of Malaga.

Graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1982 and Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, with a degree in architecture in the class of 1987.

He married Susan B. Jahnke on 24 June 1989.

Eric died when his B-52G, tail number 59-2593, suffered a catastrophic electrical system failure. The crew had just flown a sortie to Iraq as part of Desert Storm and was returning to base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The six crew members ejected at a low altitude and three of them either died on impact with the water or drowned. Eric jumped at an altitude of about 600-feet, low for the parachute to deploy correctly, which malfunctioned.