Fallen Airmen memorialized at Balad

  • Published
  • By Maj. Richard C. Sater
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) --  As light drained from the sky over Balad AB, 32 Airmen stood in formation at the position of attention, unmindful of the steady rain.

A narrator solemnly read 32 names. As each was announced, an Airman from the formation took one step forward, acknowledging the life and spirit of a fellow Airman killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The occasion of the formation and the ceremony Jan. 12 was the unveiling of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing's new monument to honor fallen Airmen who have lost their lives in the war. Some were pilots, some were security forces specialists, some were administrative technicians or radio operators; all shared a common fate -- and the fullest commitment to service before self.

The ceremony opened with the posting of the colors, the national anthem, and a chaplain's invocation. Following the reading of the names, a 21-gun salute, and the playing of "Taps," the monument was unveiled.

Constructed of welded steel and mounted on a concrete piling in front of the wing headquarters building, the monument is solid, austere, permanent. Its top angles forward with a smooth black plate covering the surface. Each fallen Airman's name is engraved on an individual black plate, framed with silver so that it stands out. Above each name is the chrome Air Force functional badge to identify the career field of the Airman.

At the bottom of the black face plate is an inscription that serves as a statement of purpose: "This memorial is dedicated to those airmen who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation .... They served our nation at a time of its greatest need and faced the enemy at the front lines."

"This is not just a memorial. It's a work of art, forged and crafted by a great young American," said Chief Master Sergeant Scott Dearduff, the 332nd AEW command chief.

The dedication of the monument itself was only a small part of the ceremony.

"The monument stands as a tribute to all the airmen and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation and fellow service members," said Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, 332nd AEW commander. "Each person named on this monument was taken from us too soon."

The monument holds special significance for the general, as he had served with -- and commanded -- some of the men and women whose names appear on it.

"Their loss stings me deeply, but I will never forget them or their unselfish commitment," the general said. "They will not be forgotten, and this memorial is a testament to their greatness."

The wing's original "Fallen Airmen" memorial was designed and built at Talil AB (now Ali Base), the former home of the 332nd AEW. When the wing relocated to Balad AB in 2004, the memorial remained where it had been originally placed.

The 332nd AEW has lost six assigned Airmen during the September 2006 to January 2007 rotation.

Several of the wing's chief master sergeants initiated the effort, and the construction was tasked to the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

The monument came to life under the hands of Airman 1st Class Neil Ketchem, a structures specialist deployed here from the 75th Civil Engineer Group, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, who cut, bent, welded and transformed scrap steel into a monument.

"I've never done anything like a monument," Airman Ketchem said. "I was asking everybody for input" on various designs, he said, until he came up with something that everyone liked.

Working with 8-by-4-foot sheets of thin steel, he crafted the monument over a six-week period, an acetylene torch being his primary tool.

One challenge was the Air Force symbol that embellishes the front of the monument.

"I needed blue steel," Airman Ketchem said.

He researched on the Internet and found step-by-step directions. Through heat manipulation, he was able to change the gray steel to a deep blue to make the symbol.

Input from the chiefs provided the finishing touches, including the addition of the specialty badges to the top plate.

"It's awesome," the Airman said of the completed project. "I love doing metal work. This was an honor."

In addition to support from the 332nd ECES, a number of other agencies and organizations provided assistance in completing the memorial, including the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Europe, which provided the engraved name plates and the Air Force functional badges. The 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight facilitated airlift for the engraved name plates and the badges.

More than 3,000 American servicemembers have given their lives in support of the war on terrorism, including the 32 Airmen named on the 332nd memorial.

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