Security Forces honor fallen defenders

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Thornbury
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Twenty-second Security Forces Squadron defenders honored their fallen brothers and sisters by revealing a memorial, here.

The memorial honored all security forces members who have lost their lives in the line of duty since Vietnam. In 2015, four defenders lost their lives, and the memorial needed to be updated with their names.

The ceremony began by welcoming the arrival of the official party and an invocation from Chaplain Wesley Sneed, 22nd Air Refueling Wing chaplain.

"As we dedicate this memorial, we offer our thanks to the men and women who have served our nation with distinction due to a period of great peril, not only for America but for the whole world," Sneed said. "We remember those today, who sacrificed so much for our country. May this monument serve as an enduring witness of the faithful service of those who we commemorate."

After the invocation and a speech by Lt. Col. Robert Clouse, 22nd SFS commander, the memorial was revealed. Four McConnell defenders gave brief descriptions of those Airmen who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the nation.

Those Airmen are:
Airman First Class Kcey E. Ruiz, 21, from McDonough, Ga.; and Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain, 29, from Pensacola, Fla.; were assigned to the 66th SFS, Hanscom AFB, Mass.; they died October 2, 2015, when a C-130J Super Hercules crashed shortly after takeoff.

Tech. Sgt. Joseph G. Lemm, 45, from Westchester, New York, and Staff Sgt. Louis M. Bonacasa, 31, from Long Island, N.Y., assigned to the 105th Base Defense Squadron, Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; both died December 21, 2015, when a suicide bomber attacked their patrol outside of Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

Two separate incidents claimed the lives of those four defenders and has taken a toll on security forces throughout the Air Force.

After honoring those defenders, everyone in the room participated in a moment of silence to reflect on their fallen brothers and sisters in arms.

"Security forces is one of the deepest brotherhoods you can have," said Maj. Trenton Shepherd, 184th SFS commander. "We are a tight, small group. We deploy as defenders, [from] guard, reserve and active. We are all defenders and this memorial is a tribute to that."