By Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Richardson
North Carolina National Guard
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Airmen gathered here
Tuesday, joined by Air Force Gen. Raymond Johns, USAF Air Mobility commander,
who led support by military leaders and Family, friends service members and
community leaders and supporters gathered here to remember four airmen of the
North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Airlift Wing who died when a modular
airborne firefighting system equipped C-130 crashed July 1 while fighting a
woodland fire in southwestern South Dakota.
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue led
the tributes during a memorial service for Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal of
Mooresville, N.C., Maj. Joseph M. McCormick of Belmont, N.C., Maj. Ryan S.
David of Boone, N.C., and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon of Charlotte.
Declaring that the men are heroes, she reminded the audience of about 1100
attendees, that included crews from other MAFFS partners in Cheyenne, Wyo.,
Colorado Springs, Colo., and Channel Islands, Calif., that they knew the risks
and the rewards.
“They did it for their families. They
did it for me, for you, and for the state and this nation,” Perdue said.
Recognizing the valiant protection all of our service men and women have volunteered
to provide, she continued saying, “Unfairly, they don't always come back.
Today, we remember and honor them.”
The simple military ceremony featured
airmen closest to the departed who shared their most memorable qualities. Lt
Col. Jim Pearson said Mikeal “exuded excellence in everything he did.” Adding
that Mikeal “inspired me to be a better aviator who lived life in the moment.”
Pearson related that his friend was
passionate, with a calming spirit.
Maj. James Bodolosky said McCormick was
the most honorable man, whose word was his life. Bodolosky explained that
McCormick could find something positive in every situation. About his family,
Bodolosky said McCormick was totally in love with his wife and thought she was
the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He added that he was in love with
their newborn (one month old at the service) daughter long before he ever met
her.
For Maj. Toshio Sameshima it was David’s
positive positive spirit is what he said he’ll remember most. “You could always
count on Ryan’s continuous smile and a laugh.”
With a more reverent tone he added that
thinking of Major David’s character would “remind me of how I should live life
- as if there were no bad days.”
All four individuals’ stories seemed
connected by a common thread. They died doing what they loved. Following the
service a second ceremony was held, with a military fly-over, to retire the
aircraft, last known with the call sign “MAFFS-7.”
The crew and its aircraft, along with
two other C-130s from the 145th AW and three dozen airmen, flew from Charlotte
to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, June 30, to
assist with fighting forest fires in the Rocky Mountain region. The crash, the
first in MAFFS history, occurred around 6:30 p.m. near Edgemont, S.D., as the
crew assisted with battling what is being called the White Draw fire. The cause
of the crash is unknown and under investigation. Two other airmen remain
hospitalized, recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.
Gov. Perdue presented the widows of the fallen
with flags that had flown over the state capitol, embracing each one as she
greeted them.
MAFFS is a joint Department of Defense
and U.S. Forest Service program designed to provide additional aerial
firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer
able to meet the needs of the forest service.
According to Forest Service records, the
agency has been working with the North Carolina Air National Guard on fire
suppression missions since the early 1970s.
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