Crash victims honored

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Andre Nicholson
  • 16th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) --  A ceremony here Dec. 3 honored four airmen who were killed when their MH-53 Pave Low helicopter crashed in Afghanistan on Nov. 23.

About 2,000 people attended the ceremony.

An enormous American Flag displayed behind the stage set the tone for the patriotic ceremony that remembered the lives of the three airmen from the 20th Special Operations Squadron here. They were Master Sgt. William Kerwood, flight engineer; Tech. Sgt. Howard Walters, aerial gunner; and Staff Sgt. Thomas Walkup Jr., flight engineer.

The ceremony also remembered the pilot of the helicopter who died in the crash, Maj. Steven Plumhoff from the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

“As we remember them today, let’s remember their smiles, the practical jokes and the sacrifices they made on a daily basis,” said Col. O.G. Mannon, 16th SOW commander. “We were blessed with their time with us and humbled by their sacrifices and dedication.”