92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
5/8/2013 - FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE Wash. -- Three Airmen from the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron tragically perished May 3, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan, in the crash of a KC-135 aircraft.
The crew and aircraft were assigned to the Transit Center at Manas near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The deceased are: Tech. Sgt. Herman Mackey III, 30, hometown of Bakersfield, Calif; Capt. Victoria A. Pinckney, 27, hometown of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Capt. Mark Tyler Voss, 27, hometown of Boerne, Texas.
They will all be missed by family, friends and co-workers.
Mackey "Tre," was the newest arrival of the three to Fairchild, leaves behind his wife, Megan; daughter, Payton; his mother; three sisters and two brothers. He was born in Anaheim, Calif., graduated from Bakersfield High School, was a L.A. Lakers fan and loved to barbeque and host parties for friends.
"Tre" was the guy that always made a grand entrance and would light up the room with his humor and a smile, said his wife, Megan. "He had no enemies and was always there to lend a hand to anyone who needed it."
"He was always quick to make you smile," said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Gomez, friend and co-worker. "Everyone was a friend to him and no one was a stranger."
Pinckney leaves behind her husband, Richard Pinckney and her 7-month-old son, Gabriel; Her parents, Michelle and Larry Castro and two sisters, Nichol and Samantha Castro; Her grandparents, Terry and retired Lt. Col. Don Castro and Josephine and Emil Grulkowski and many aunts, uncles, and cousins; She also leaves behind her mother-in-law Nina Pinckney and Wally Slate, and father-in-law Richard and his wife, Lorraine Pinckney; Her three sisters-in-law Christine, Stephanie and Jeanna Pinckney, as well as, Tyler and Kevin Obrock and grandparents Anna Bull, Donald Bull and Virginia Hunt.
She graduated from Palmdale High School, Palmdale, Calif., was a graduate of the U. S. Air Force Academy class of 2008 with a degree in Major Systems Space Engineering. She also received a Master's of Psychology degree. She played on the women's rugby team at the USAFA and had a black belt in karate. She also enjoyed scrapbooking, snowboarding and crochet.
She was truly one of the nicest people I've ever met, said Maj. Menola Guthrie, friend and co-worker. We both found out we were pregnant at the same time and had our babies just a few days apart. She was an extremely loyal mother to Gabriel - "Tory" will be missed.
"She was like my sister," said Capt. Alexandra Trana, friend and co-worker. "When I first got to Fairchild she took me under her wing helping me through a lot of things - I will miss her."
Voss, who went by "Tyler," leaves behind his parents Wayne and Marcy Voss from Boerne, Texas and his brother, Forrest, who is a student at Texas A&M University and his sister, Morgan, who attends MIT. He graduated from Boerne High School in 2004 and from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2008 with a major in Aeronautical Engineering. He was commissioned in the U. S. Air Force as a second lieutenant and received his wings in March of 2010, having graduated from pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Del Rio, Texas, where he received a training award for having the highest score in his class on flight check rides. He was promoted to captain May 28, 2012 and became an aircraft commander March 14, 2013.
"Tyler was a great guy who lived in the moment," said Capt. Tino Diaz, friend and co-worker. "He had a lot of interests and a lot of toys everything from motorcycles to a race car; he even had a plane he was working on!"
Capt. Manny Ochoa, friend and co-worker added "Tyler was like a brother to everyone."
"Captain Voss treated everyone with so much respect and was so level headed," said Senior Airman Cody Haynes, 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. "He looked after his people. "Any crew chief can tell you that if you were going on a TDY, he would be one of the aircraft commanders who you could really count on to taking care of you."
All three Airmen were well known for their contributions across the base.
"They were three of the most positive people in our squadron." said Lt. Col. Patrick O'Brien, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron commander. "Tyler had a love of life like no one I've ever met. Tre had a calming personality and was extremely gracious. When he was brand new to the squadron, he invited a large number of people over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. That's the kind of person he was - he put other people first. Tory was an extremely hard worker. She was gentle, but ambitious and caring. She definitely kept me in line - We deeply miss these fine Airman and will never forget them."
The base is reaching out to support their families and friends.
Col. Brian Newberry, Commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing said, "Team Fairchild is doing everything we can to support their families and friends during this profoundly difficult time. These Airmen leave behind an incredible legacy of service and honor in protecting our nation and the world. They show what we all know, freedom is never free."
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
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