Honoring those who went before us

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Maysonet
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Laughlin unveiled its newly established memorial at Ribas-Dominicci Circle here May 31, dedicated to the memory of 22 instructor pilots from Laughlin who died in the skies over Southeast Asia.

The dedication ceremony marks the end of a two-year-long project between Laughlin and the Laughlin Heritage Foundation in Del Rio, Texas, to honor in stone the fallen pilots of the 3645th Pilot Training Squadron.

"This is not a day of sorrow, nor should there be any fanfare; rather this is a day of reflection and remembrance to honor our Laughlin legacy, the fallen comrades who once trained the world's best pilots," said Col. Brian Hastings, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "Today it is our great honor to welcome them back to Team XL."

Speaking at the monument's unveiling was retired Lt. Col. William "Toby" Hughes, a former instructor pilot with the 3645th PTS and one of the key voices in the monument's creation.

"They were friends, squadron mates, coworkers who we shared a drink or a dice cup or an argument or a bawdy song around the bar," said Hughes. "They were our leaders; they were our wingmen. Some were close friends, and some were not. Regardless, they were all part of the great worldwide fraternity of those who fly."

Retired Maj. Gen. Gerald Prather, a former student pilot from Laughlin and a supporter of the project, also spoke at the ceremony.

"We will not forget their names, the names of our fallen and dead," said Prather. "Their names are engraved on this special monument, engraved so that we will not forget them. They died for our freedom; they died for you and me."

After a 3-volley salute by Laughlin's Honor Guard, the ceremony concluded with an old tradition shared by combat aircrews, the tossing of a nickel into the grass to bring them luck before a flight. Attendees lined up and tossed a nickel from their pocket into the grass at the base of the monument.

"We will meet again," said Hughes. "God speed compadres you have earned your flight with the angels."