Air Advisor Academy to host memorial dedication ceremony

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (AFNS) -- The U.S. Air Force Air Advisor Academy will host a dedication ceremony for the Air Advisor Memorial here at 9 a.m. July 27.

The memorial, which is located next to the Air Advisor Academy, pays tribute to all fallen air advisors and their families.

The ceremony will honor nine members of the NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan who were killed in action April 27, 2011, while serving as advisors and mentors to the people of Afghanistan.

"We chose to build the memorial here because Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is the home of the air advisor," said Col. Olaf Holm, the commandant of the Air Advisor Academy. "These service members come from all over the world to train here as air advisors, but while they're here they shop at our local stores and eat at our local restaurants, and for that brief period in time, they call JB MDL home."

Holm said his vision was to build the memorial in the same way the academy builds air advisors, with involvement from the local community. To that end, much of the building materials and labor were donated by local businesses and schools.

The memorial is designed in the shape of two stacked 'A's which represent both air advisors and aircraft wings. The larger outside wall will hold plaques with the names of air advisors killed in the line of duty, while the smaller inner wall will hold a plaque dedicated to all fallen air advisors.

The base's Arnold Gate, located on Wrightstown-Cookstown Road, will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m July 27 to members of the general public wishing to attend the ceremony. All Department of Defense cardholders must use the McGuire Gate for access.

For more information about the Air Advisor Memorial, visit www.airadvisormemorial.org.

(Courtesy of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs.)