8th SOS, base honor Storm 73 Airmen each day, every day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  From the sounding of retreat to the flyover of two CV-22 Ospreys, scores of Air Commandos and family members joined the 8th SOS for a memorial ceremony at the Hurlburt Field Airpark May 18 to commemorate the memory of two of their fallen fellow Airmen.

Maj. Randell Voas, 8th SOS evaluator pilot, and Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, 8th SOS evaluator flight engineer, lost their lives when their CV-22 crashed in Afghanistan April 9, 2010.
 
The ceremony also paid respect to Corporal Michael Jankiewicz, a U.S. Army Ranger, and a civilian employee who also died in the crash of the Osprey, the lead aircraft of the Storm 73 flight.

"Today we commemorate those who lost their lives as part of Storm 73," said Lt. Col. Shawn Cameron, 8th SOS commander. "And while we mourn the loss of all families and understand the sacrifice all have made, we pay particular tribute to Randy and J.B. Try as we must, we cannot bring them back. We all miss them each in our own way. To the families, know that you will always be in our thoughts and prayers, and that you will always be a part of the 8th SOS."

Although he acknowledged the date of the ceremony did not coincide with either the April 9th Afghanistan-based date or the April 8th stateside reporting, Colonel Cameron said the timing was not the most important factor of the service.

"It became pretty obvious early on that [the date] didn't matter, because we remember J.B. and Randy each and every day," he said. "We're here not to remember a single tragic event on a given day, but to remember these two individuals and how they still impact operations at the 8th SOS."

Colonel Cameron said Major Voas and Sergeant Lackey's impact was both tangible and longstanding, beginning with both of their names inscribed on a plaque when they transitioned to a CV-22 squadron in October 2006 to how they trained fellow aviators.

At the ceremony's conclusion, Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Joiner, 8th SOS flight engineer, laid a wreath at the Air Commando Memorial honoring the legacy of the all Air Commandos who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Fellow 8th SOS Airmen also constructed a memorial shadowbox to remain at their squadron complete with photos of Major Voas and Sergeant Lackey as well as the squadron's role in Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We proudly display this memorial made by members of the 8th SOS honoring their sacrifices and the squadron's accomplishments in OEF," Colonel Cameron said. "The two are eternally joined. This is a reminder that without Randy and J.B., the unit would not have had the tremendous cadre to allow us to accomplish our mission. By accomplishing that mission to the best of our ability, we honor them. We know Randy and J.B. never quit flying--we must do the same."