Nomads remember on Khobar Towers 15th anniversary

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Airman, Marines, Sailors and family members gathered to remember 19 brave warriors and 12 valiant 33rd Fighter Wing Nomads on the 15th anniversary of the Khobar Towers bombing June 24.

"I'm humbled to be a part of this ceremony," said Col. Andrew Toth, 33rd FW commander. "It reminds us, as a nation, that America is in a time of war and has always known conflict. The 33rd will continue the same patriotism. An eternal flame burns brightly. Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten."

A terrorist attack at Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, June 25, 1996, resulted in 400 casualties among civilian and military personnel. Members of the 33rd FW's enlisted force were caught in harm's way that day.

At the ceremony, guest speakers and family members of the fallen Nomads described the common values held by the service members as a bond that brings everyone together.

"Many of you in the audience may have known one or more of these proud warriors," Col Toth said. "Their sacrifice and your own has not been in vain. The reason we as Americans, are free and continue to be free is because of what they have done."

Guest speaker, Lt. Col. Bob Ambrose (ret.), a former maintenance officer with the 33rd FW, was deployed with the victims at the time of the tragedy.

"The 12 would want me to tell you how thankful they are you attended today," said the retired colonel. "They gave everything; people remember that."

Colonel Ambrose remembered finding solace in a statement about the team being headed from a new mission in heaven from a co-worker responsible for flight manifests.

The colonel said if not for their self-aid buddy care and rapid response training, many of the survivors would not have made it.

After the colonel spoke, the crowd observed a moment of silence by the eternal flame, as the base honor guard rendered a 21-gun salute. Pilots from the 33rd FW flew in a missing-man formation over the memorial to close the ceremony.

"It's bittersweet," said Sandy Windman, niece of one of the fallen Nomads, Tech. Sgt Thanh Gus Nguyen. "I think about the good memories of when he was alive, but also the sadness of our loss and what could've been."

The 12 Nomads were members of the 58th Fighter Squadron, 60th Fighter Squadron, 33d Logistics Group, 33d Maintenance Squadron and 33d Operations Support Squadron. They represented a cross-section of the wing as crew chiefs, expeditors, weapons loaders, mechanics, production superintendents, program managers, and technicians. The unit was deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch when a truck bomb exploded near the dormitory housing 33rd FW members. The memorial here honoring the Nomads' memory was dedicated a year after the tragedy.

"Let us now praise theses quiet American heroes, who gave their lives in service to America. May they rest in peace and may their names live on forever," said former President William J. Clinton, days after the attack. "Our Nomads have ceased their wandering. They have come home."

The Nomads who gave their lives June 25, 1996:
Tech. Sgt Daniel Cafourek
Sgt. Millard Dee Campbell
Senior Airman Earl Cartrette, Jr.
Tech. Sgt. Patrick Fennig
Master Sgt. Kendall Kitson, Jr.
Airman 1st Class Brent Marthaler
Airman 1st Class Brian McVeigh
Airman 1st Class Peter Morgera
Tech. Sgt. Thanh Gus Nguyen
Airman 1st Class Joseph Rimkus
Senior Airman Jeremy Taylor
Airman 1st Class Joshua Woody