by Staff Sgt. Malia Jenkins
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
8/14/2015 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- B-52H
Stratofortress aircrew demonstrated Team Minot's respect and gratitude
for 33 years of selfless service to the Ninth Chief Master Sergeant of
the Air Force, James C. Binnicker, during a flyover at his funeral at
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, today.
Binnicker served in the Air Force's top enlisted position from July 1,
1986, to July 31, 1990. During his tenure, he led the transformation
from the Airman Performance Report to the Enlisted Performance Report
and developed the performance feedback system. He also worked to have
master sergeants admitted to the Senior NCO Academy and to increase the
opportunities for minorities and women throughout the Air Force.
Binnicker retired Aug. 1, 1990, but his heart never left the Air Force,
Senior Master Sgt. Lee E. Hoover Jr. said in a remembrance article. He
continued traveling around the world to speak with Airmen in different
forums, including professional military education courses. In 2000, he
was selected as the CEO and President of the Air Force Enlisted Village
in Shalimar, Florida, and spent the next 15 years working tirelessly to
provide more than 400 residents a loving, secure place to call home, he
added.
To honor Binnicker and his multitude of accomplishments to better the
Air Force and its Airmen, Team Minot plans to name one of their
dormitories after him. They also flew a lithograph from the 5th Bomb
Wing command chief's office in one of the aircraft to eventually hang in
the Binnicker Dorm.
"Flying the lithograph is a unique circumstance that presented itself as
if by magic. Several months ago, I arrived at the office to see the
litho leaning against the couch with no notes or indication where it
came from, and I haven't found out yet," said Chief Geoff Weimer, 5th
Bomb Wing command chief. "So, I proudly hung it on the wall without much
more thought. More recently, our local Air Force Sergeants Association
Chapter expressed interest in memorializing one of our two remaining
unnamed dorms in honor of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Binnicker. I put some thought into flying different items over the
funeral to eventually be unveiled at a dedication ceremony, but didn't
have a solid plan."
As if by magic once again, Col. Jason Armagost, 5th Bomb Wing commander,
walked into his office one morning and within seconds said, "So, he was
the sitting Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force at the time this
litho was produced and signed?"
Weimer said the proverbial light came on and the next priority became
clear -- get the circa 1990 lithograph, signed by the surviving eight of
the nine Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force, on that flight!
"Signed by Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Binnicker during his
tenure, flown over his funeral ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery
and eventually placed on the wall of a building named in his honor, what
more solemn significance could you ask for?" Weimer said.
Showing the dedication of bomber Airmen once again, three of Minot's
dedicated professionals and leaders flew the lithograph from Weimer's
office during the flyover: Senior Airman Taylor Lancaster, 5th Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron crew chief, Staff Sgt. Brandon Spencer, 5th AMXS
crew chief and Senior Airman Jason Frunzi, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron
structural apprentice.
Frunzi was hand-picked as an additional member to fly in the aircraft because of his hard work, dedication and selflessness.
"Senior Airman Frunzi is a strong and selfless representation of the
24/7 professional ethic we strive to achieve as Airmen. He is a tireless
technician, leader of fellow Airmen and community servant," Weimer
said.
"Bomber Airmen put their blood, sweat and tears into the mission at home
and abroad every day. They do it with the knowledge that so much of
what we enjoy as Airmen today is the result of passionate advocacy from
iconic leaders before us like Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Binnicker," Weimer said. "The Warbirds are giving a huge vitamin shot to
our understanding of how heritage complements and propels our mission,
vision and priorities. Putting our tail flash in the skies over
Arlington bridged the gap between our hard-working Airmen and the giants
whose shoulders we stand on."
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
May 21, 2007 – A black and white photograph with Arlington National Cemetery as the somber yet sublime backdrop captures a lone mourner kneeling before a headstone among seemingly endless rows of pale grave markers. This poignant image and others are spread across the pages of "Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery," a new book that debuted May 18 here. The 191-page book embodies the culmination of a two-year effort by Arlington National Cemetery Commemorative Project, Inc., in conjunction with National Geographic, and Rich Clarkson and Associates.
In the cemetery's information center, the commemorative book that salutes members of U.S. armed forces who now rest here was presented to five military families representing each of the service branches.
"I go to see him every month with my kids, because I feel at peace. I feel like he's here," said Laura Youngblood, who lives in Columbus, Ohio -- an eight-hour drive from where her husband, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Travis L. Youngblood, is buried.
"I sit by the headstone and just feel whole again," Youngblood said. "He was my children's father, he was a son, a brother. To other people he may be a number, but my husband was my husband."
The sailor, who is survived by Laura Youngblood and their young son, Hunter, and daughter, Emma, was killed in July 2005 by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. Laura and her wide-eyed children accepted a personalized copy of "Where Valor Rests" on behalf of families who have lost Navy sailors during the war on terrorism.
"Many people passionately labored to develop a befitting gift to fill an astronomical void left by the untimely departure of the irreplaceable men and women known simply by most as mom or dad, or my brother or sister, or my husband or my wife, my son or my daughter," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Carl H. McNair, chairman and president of the Arlington National Cemetery Commemorative Project, Inc.
"This gift had to convey our nation's admiration while acknowledging the enormous pain and loss the ultimate sacrifices bring to those left behind," McNair said. "To our distinguished visitors and those similarly situated, this gift had to assist your families in healing, by bringing the spirit and fond memories of your brave loves ones resting here in the serenity of Arlington, a little closer to home."
McNair then announced that Arlington National Cemetery Commemorative Project and its partners will donate 5,500 copies of "Where Valor Rests" "to those serving on land, sea and in the air."
Accepting the book on behalf of Army families was Army Command Sgt. Maj. Debra L. Strickland, wife of Army Sgt. Maj. Larry Strickland, who died when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Mike and Jacqueline Chavis received the book for families of fallen airmen; their son, Air Force Airman 1st Class Lee Bernard Chavis, died October 2006 when a sniper shot and killed him in Baghdad.
Marine Capt. Brian Letendre died in May 2006 during combat in Iraq, and accepting the book on behalf of Marine families was his widow, Autumn Letendre, and their son, Dillon. Representing the fallen Coast Guardsmen was Patricia Bruckenthal, whose husband, Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, was killed in April 2004 by a suicide bomb attack off the coast of Iraq.
Each of these servicemembers received a military funeral and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
"When you think about Washington, D.C., it's a region filled with monuments and memorials that tell the story of our nation's history," said Pete Geren, acting secretary of the Army. "Across the river, you have the Jefferson Memorial, the memorial that tells story of the godfather of the intellectual foundation of this country. Across the mall there is the Washington Monument. The father of our country - first in war, first in peace, a general and president.
"The Lincoln Memorial, the person who helped hold this country together when those among our brethren tried to tear it apart," Geren said. "Across the mall is the memorial to Franklin Roosevelt who led this country through one of its greatest crises in history, and defeated the fascist powers that tried to destroy all that we stood for.
"Then you cross the river and you think, 'Where does Arlington Cemetery fit in this tapestry of American history, this story of the life of this great experiment in democracy?'" he said. "Arlington Cemetery connects all of those memorials; it connects all of those monuments.
"Arlington Cemetery represents the soul of America," Geren said.
"Where Valor Rests" includes text by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Atkinson describing the cemetery's nearly 150-year history, and photographs from every corner of the 624-acre grounds shot by some of the nation's leading photographers and best military photojournalists.
At the debut here, enlarged photos portraying the cemetery during each of the four seasons were on display - a wide-angle picture of 4,500 visitors attending the Easter sunrise service; red, white and blue fireworks bursting above the cemetery's tree line, splattering white headstones with luminescent hues; cold, dark marble markers peppered throughout patches of fallen leaves or blanketed by fluffy snow.
On the glossy pages of "Where Valor Rests," servicemembers young and old are captured in rare, tender moments. A World War II veteran wipes away tears with his wrinkled hand during a dedication ceremony to his fallen brothers-in-arms. His tuft of silver-gray hair is covered by a hat stitched with the words, "Battle of the Bulge: Delaware Valley Chapter."
"Visually, (Arlington National Cemetery) is a very striking place -- the rolling hills, the long lines of headstones. It creates something that at every hour of the day will look different," said photographer David Burnett. Burnett's images - taken with a Speed Graphic camera popular with press photographers in the 1940s during last year's Memorial Day events, including the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns -- make up the book chapter titled "Ceremony."
"There's a lot of symbolism in what's here that you're always aware of and trying to incorporate that into some of your pictures," he said. "There's something here that you know is going to outlast all of us. There's a permanence and strength to it."
The image Burnett is most fond of features rocks lying atop a headstone's ivory arch. The headstone marks the grave of a servicemember whose inscribed name is out of focus and illegible in the image.
"I was touched by the way the stones were put up here, which is a little symbol of remembrance," he explained. "I didn't want it to be just about the name. It's one guy, but it could be anybody."
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