Sitka 43 Airmen remembered in memorial unveiling

  • Published
  • By David Bedard
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Crafted in fiberglass wrapped meticulously around a metal frame, the 1:24 scale C-17 Globemaster III model, unveiled as the center¬piece of the Sitka 43 Memorial, bears an uncanny likeness to the cargo plane lost in an accident, July 28, which resulted in the deaths of four Airmen belonging to the 517th and the Alaska Air National Guard's 249th airlift squadrons.

Maj. Aaron Malone, Maj. Mi¬chael Freyholtz, Capt. Jeffrey Hill and Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Cicardo were remembered by at¬tending family members as well as by 517th AS and 249th AS Airmen who lined the squadron headquar¬ters stairwell and main hallway to witness actor Gary Sinise unveil the model under the direction of 517th AS Commander Lt. Col. Patrick Weeks.

Before the unveiling, the squadron commander offered his remarks detailing the significance of the memorial.

"The model that we're going to unveil today is a celebration of the guys that we lost back on 28 July at 6:23 in the evening," Weeks said. "We all knew them very well. They were friends of ours. They were fathers, they were brothers, they were husbands, and they were fellow Airmen, just like us.

"This is a celebration for us and why?" he asked. "Because every time you and I are going to walk down these stairs and walk up these stairs, you're going to see this model."

Accompanying the C-17 in the stairwell is a C-12 Huron, another 1:24 scale model of the small tur¬boprop aircraft operated by the 517th AS.

Weeks said a plaque will be installed sometime in the future at the landing overlooking the two models, commemorating the four aviators in words.

Aircraft Loadmaster Staff Sgt. Ryan Horn said the models were commissioned 18 months ago by former 517th AS Commander Lt. Col. Andy Hird, who was par¬ticularly interested in the size and accuracy of the C-17.

"He said, 'I want it as big as you can get it, and I want it some¬where in the squadron.'" Horn recalled. "I surveyed the squadron, obviously, because the structure of the building doesn't have too many open spaces, besides the stairwell."

Horn said he did the math and figured out the largest C-17 scale he could get through the door was 1:24. No ready-made or desktop models were anywhere near that size, he said, so the unit put the job out to bid to model makers across the nation capable of building such a massive, detailed model. Months later, the model was funded, built and finally ready to ship.

"The week it was supposed to ship was actually the week Sitka 43 crashed, and we're standing around at the roll call of the aircrew, and I thought about the model," The loadmaster said. "I approached Col. Hird, who was still the com¬mander at the time, and said, 'Would you mind if I made a phone call and had it repainted to look like Sitka 43?' He said, 'Do it. Go make the phone call right now.'"

Horn said he called model maker Frederick Tyson in Fort Myers, Fla., and inquired about the change, much to the chagrin of the artist who informed the loadmaster the model was ready to ship with a different tail number and he was putting the finishing touches on the C-12.

Horn said once he explained the situation to Tyson, the model maker was more than happy to repaint the model with Sitka 43 markings including the 0173 serial number and "Spirit of the Aleutians."

Tyson had the idea to add the names of the four fallen aviators to the nose of the aircraft and agreed to repaint the model at no extra charge.

"Things happen for a reason," Horn said of the timing. "If we had gotten this model before the crash with a different tail number, I don't think it would have had the same impact as it does right now. I think this is something the squadron definitely needs: a memorial to be able to honor our brethren."

At the conclusion of his re¬marks, Weeks had a request for all of those in attendance.

"Remember these guys for what they did yesterday, remember them today and remember them tomorrow," he said. "That's what I want for each and every one of you."