Oh! How tall these airmen stand Molded of the finest clay They pledge their honor and their code These men in the Scarlet Red Beret
By Major John Lewis, USAF, Ret. Combat Control Officer
CCT brother, Garland R. “Ray” Ekenstam, CCA LM-768, passed away 6 May 2008
From Jim Lundie; Ray Ekenstam was diagnosed with cancer only a few weeks ago. He underwent surgery in Northern California last Friday. The cancer was discovered to be so advanced as to be un-operable. Four days later he passed on. Ray served in the mid sixties as a Combat Controller. Stateside, he was stationed at Elmendorf, AK. He was a member of the CCT team in RVN in 1968 where I served with him. In Viet Nam Ray was the type that much preferred being on mission than sitting in Saigon. I worked a few with him and know him to be a talented and dedicated soldier. After leaving the Air Force Ray continued his education and earned his degree in electrical engineering. He had his own very successful company and worked right up to the time his terrible illness struck him down. He lived in Tustin California with his two dogs. Ironically I became re-acquainted with Ray during Ron Smith's long battle with cancer. Smitty was alone in central California, struggling with his disease. When Ray found out he traveled frequently to the San Simeon area to help him in his battle with the VA, and to comfort him as only a brother-in-arms can do. After Smitty's death, Ray arranged and paid for the funeral, helped pay off immediate obligations and assisted Smitty's elder sister in settling his meager estate. I will miss Ray Ekenstam knowingly. Many others will as well, without realizing it. He leaves behind a vacuum that God will have to search hard to fill............... Jim Lundie
U.S. Veteran SMSgt. William J. Polston, age 75, of Jacksonville went to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 26, 2008. He was born in June 19, 1932 in Lake City, Arkansas to the late Gaylord and Pauline Cummings Polston. He is also preceded in death by son, Michael Polston and sister, Verble Hill. Bill was a proud career military man who spent 28 years in the Armed Services and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1976. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and earned The Airman’s Medal and Purple Heart. After his retirement he served in various positions for over 30 years at VFW Post 4548, most recently as their Post Chaplain.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at the McArthur
Assembly of God Church in Jacksonville with Rev. Larry Burton officiating.Interment will follow at Arkansas State Veteran’s Cemetery in North Little Rock. Visitation will be Monday, April 28, 2008 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Dick Brawley
Funeral services for Dale will be at 11:30 a.m., Monday, October 1, 2007 at Valley Funeral Home with Pastor Matthew Duin officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday, September 30, 2007 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. and again on Monday from 10:00am until the time of services. Burial will take place at Saxeville Union Cemetery, with full military honors.
LTC Dale T. Jensen enlisted in the USAF in 1974 as a Combat Controller at LRAFB and Clark, PI. After leaving the AF in 1980, he enter the Army Reserves and was commissioned from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse in 1985. He had numerous assignments to include Company and Battalion Commander, as well as Division Operations Officer.
His Awards and Decorations include the Legion of Merit, Korean Defense Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, AF Good Conduct Metal, Ranger Tab, Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Freefall Badge, and SCUBA Badge.
TSgt William Jefferson, KIA Afghanistan
Sgt. William Jefferson Jr. of Norfolk died Saturday, 03/22/08, near Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. The 34-year-old was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron.
While others finish high school unsure of their futures, William H. Jefferson had no doubts as he graduated from Norfolk’s Lake Taylor High School in 1991.
He had already selected his life’s path and planned to march down it in a Marine Corps uniform, said his sister, Tammy Davis, 37, of Virginia Beach. And he did, making a career of the military that eventually brought him into the Air Force. On Saturday, he was serving in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. The Pentagon announced Sunday that the 34-year-old technical sergeant died from wounds suffered in that blast, near Sperwan Ghar. “The whole draw was to serve his country,” Davis said Sunday night. “For the last two years of high school, he knew he wanted to go in the service.” He had already selected his life’s path and planned to march down it in a Marine Corps uniform, said his sister, Tammy Davis, 37, of Virginia Beach. And he did, making a career of the military that eventually brought him into the Air Force. On Saturday, he was serving in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device.
On Saturday, he was serving in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device.
The Pentagon announced Sunday that the 34-year-old technical sergeant died from wounds suffered in that blast, near Sperwan Ghar.
“The whole draw was to serve his country,” Davis said Sunday night. “For the last two years of high school, he knew he wanted to go in the service.”
He had already selected his life’s path and planned to march down it in a Marine Corps uniform, said his sister, Tammy Davis, 37, of Virginia Beach. And he did, making a career of the military that eventually brought him into the Air Force. On Saturday, he was serving in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device.
Jefferson was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron based at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
He was on his third tour in that part of the world, his sister said.
In e-mails home during his deployments, Jefferson had said he could see improvement over time.
“He talked about the differences he saw,” Davis said, “that everyone was making things better. He definitely believed that he should be there and that the U.S. was doing the right thing. He fully supported it 100 percent.”
He was to have returned stateside in 30 days, Davis said.
Jefferson had settled on the Marine Corps “because they said he could get into sky-diving school and scuba school,” Davis said.
He spent four years in the Corps. But even as he grew into a good warrior, he also realized he wanted to be a good husband, she said.
“He had decided he wanted to marry his high school sweetheart,” Davis said, “but he realized that in the Marine Corps, he was gone way too much.”
So Jefferson traded his uniform, donning Air Force blues, determined to serve and have a family.
“He’s been in the Air Force 12 years and planned to stay to retirement,” Davis said.
He had earned his bachelor’s degree and was working toward his master’s, his sister said.
“He wanted to teach high school. He was leaning toward history or government.”
She said he had settled on that as his next profession “because he thought that kids at that age need direction to pick the right path.”
Jefferson “just thought he could help kids,” she said.
He and his wife Kristy – his high school sweetheart, from Virginia Beach – would have marked their 15th anniversary in May.
Their second child, a daughter to be named Natalie, is due in May. Their daughter, Tyler, turned 8 two weeks ago, Davis said.
The family has been living in Fayetteville, N.C.
Jefferson’s parents live in Hampton Roads, in Norfolk.
“Everybody loved him,” Davis said. “It didn’t matter who he met, he just attracted people. He had a great sense of humor, just a big kid.”
She said the family also has learned he was respected. They have spoken with other men in his unit who said he was “a mentor, a great leader.”
When asked if there was anything she wanted to add about her brother, Davis’ voice grew stronger.
“Just tell people how proud we are of him,” Davis said.
“He was doing his job. He was doing what he thought was right,” she said.
“He is actually the all-American boy story; two kids, white picket fence,” she said. “A true hero in every sense of the word.”
Danny L. Kimme is the son of Combat Controller Doug Kimme. Danny gave his life, KIA Iraq, fighting for our freedoms. R.I.P. Danny
His family will meet with friends and relatives Thursday, January 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ofield Funeral Home and his family will be having a private service at a later date. Ofield Funeral Home
The Funeral Home has a Guestbook set up for Gary's family here.
Note; Please Visit FACNET : The FACNET FACNET is for Forward Air Controllers (FACs)from the WAR in Southeast Asia and is designed to allow FACS to find each other and stay linked.
Suicide Leaves Area Stunned.......
Gary Hooper walked briskly along the street with a handgun to his head Friday, at one point telling unarmed officers positioned a safe distance away, “I know what I’m doing.”
He told them he wanted to go to nearby Providence St. Peter Hospital, but he never made it. Just 15 minutes after police made contact with him at 12:10 p.m. on Lilly Road near 26th Avenue Northeast, he pulled the trigger as officers watched.
His public suicide stunned his co-workers with the city of Lacey, where he had worked for more than a decade. Several had seen him earlier in the morning when he attended a staff meeting.
“It’s a tragedy for us,” Lacey City Manager Greg Cuoio said. “Gary was well-liked. He was a great employee. This is a very sad time.”
Hooper, 47, had a dispute with his wife Friday, according to the Olympia Police Department. It was unclear whether the dispute occurred in person or on the phone.
Hooper’s wife called 9-1-1 on her cell phone to report that her husband was leaving his residence on the 3700 block of 34th Lane Northeast armed with a weapon. She said he had told her he was headed to the hospital and was going to kill himself. She was not at the residence when she made the call.
Olympia police described her call as being part of a domestic dispute, but Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Counts said his office did not classify the call as anything other than a “suicidal subject.”
There is no history of 9-1-1 calls from the 34th Lane address, Counts said.
Two Olympia police officers, driving separate patrol cars, found a man who fit the description given by Hooper’s wife as he walked along Lilly Road just after noon, Olympia police Sgt. Jim Partin said. The man, later determined to be Hooper, placed the handgun to his head when he saw the officers, the sergeant said.
The officers moved back to 26th Avenue Northeast and attempted to divert traffic as Hooper approached.
When Hooper walked through the intersection, one of the officers trailed behind him and attempted to communicate with Hooper by using the public-address system on his squad car. Two officers driving a squad car and a motorcycle arrived and also followed Hooper, Partin said. The officer on the PA system continued to try to get a response from Hooper and urged him to put the gun down.
Officers established a moving perimeter behind and in front of Hooper as he walked, Partin said, and traffic was diverted off Lilly Road in both directions.
At some point, Hooper told the officers “I know what I’m doing” and added that he wanted to go to the hospital, Partin said.
Near the intersection of Entrada Drive Northeast, a short distance north of the hospital, Hooper stopped, started walking again, and stopped a second time before pulling the trigger, Partin said.
The sergeant said no officers drew firearms, but they had unholstered them and had them at the ready in their vehicles. The officers couldn’t get close enough to Hooper to deploy their Tasers, which have wires that reach a maximum of 21 feet, Partin said.
“The last thing you want to do is aggravate them or upset them or make them think that you’re going to harm them,” Partin said about suicidal subjects.
Hooper never pointed his handgun at officers, Partin said.
Two officers were trying to get close enough to fire nonlethal beanbag rounds to separate Hooper from his gun when Hooper pulled the trigger, Partin said.
Lilly Road was closed for about three hours as authorities investigated.
Hooper was hired in August 1996 as a maintenance worker in the Public Works Department and promoted to engineer technician in the department two years later.
In his job, he reviewed engineering plans in the office and engineering projects in the field to ensure they complied with city standards. He was the lead field inspector on the $6.4 million project to convert sections of Pacific Avenue and Lacey Boulevard, both major thoroughfares, into one-way streets.
City Manager Greg Cuoio said his colleagues were taking the news hard. Hooper had told Cuoio “things are a little tough” when they had a brief conversation two days ago, but the city manager said Hooper had seemed OK.
Hooper’s wife filed for divorce in October 2001 after 16 years of marriage, court documents show. The couple apparently reconciled, and the court dismissed the petition six months later. The couple have a daughter.
Note; The other day a friend asked if I was mad at him. No, I wasn't mad, but I know I haven't been myself for a while. I suffer from depression and have been having symptoms for a few weeks. I'm not sure why it's effecting me now, but I know I'll get through this bout and be as normal as possible. Yesterday, I drove down to Sedalia to get some paperwork to have Dad put in a facility. I then drove by their house to pull the battery in mom's car and put it on a charger. I also checked on Maggie, we buried her there last month. On the way home, I stopped at my brother Jeff's Cross and planted some day lillies. This morning I wanted to tell you about my depression, but decided not to. Now you need to know..................
Gary didn't need to die. He was upset with his wife, who isn't, and carried it too far. A few days and it would have all blown over. The scary part, I know why he was going to the hospital; He wanted his body parts readily available to save other lifes.......................... R.I.P. Brother
He joined the United States Air Force soon after and served from 1978 to 1982, achieving the rank of Sergeant E-4. He returned to his hometown, where he met the girl next door, his wife, Angela. They married in 1984 and settled in Olympia, where their daughter, Jennifer, was born in 1987. Jennifer was the light of his life, sharing so much more than their strawberry-red hair.
Some of his favorite times were spent hiking and camping with his daughter. Gary truly had a lust for life. He loved fishing and hunting in Alaska and hiking and camping in areas of Washington and Alaska; more recently, he took up mountain climbing, scaling Mount Saint Helens and parts of Mount Rainier.
Additionally, he is grieved by his former coworkers at the Group Health Cooperative in Olympia, as well as by his current coworkers at the City of Lacey, where he worked as an inspector and plan reviewer. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at the Thurston Center at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, 3054 Carpenter Road S.E., Lacey. In Gary's memory, please consider filling out an organ donor form and/or giving blood at the Puget Sound Blood Center. To leave condolences for the family, please go to: www.funeralalternatives.org Arrangements by Funeral Alternatives of Washington, (360) 753-1065.
Joseph Peter Lagerloef, 69, of Panama City, passed away Tuesday, February 27, 2007. He was born on October 3, 1937 in Aurora, Illinois. He was a retired Lieutenant Colonel for the U.S. Air Force. Lt. Colonel Lagerloef spent most of his Air Force career as a Combat Control Team Officer in charge. This prestigious unit is looked upon as having some of the most courageous and highly trained men in the U.S. armed forces. He made well in excess of 1100 parachute jumps and was a highly proficient private pilot. Among his many decorations, includes a Purple Heart awarded for service in Vietnam, a Meritorious Service Medal with 1 silver oak leaf cluster, an Air Force Commendation Medal, Distinguished-Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, and a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Device. He was also an enthusiastic aviator who built and flew his own aircraft as well as an avid car collector with a particular fondness for vintage T-Birds. He had a creative writing ability that reflected the heritage of his distant famous Nobel Prize winner, Aunt Selem Lagerloef. He was preceded in death by his son, Evan Lagerloef. He is survived by his son, Kris Lagerloef of Shalimar, FL, grandson, Evan Joseph Lagerloef, of Panama City, two brothers, Hans Lagerloef and his wife, Susan, of Sugar Grove, IL, George A. Finley and his wife, Phyllis, of Corpus Christy, TX, sister, Sue Moody, of Mesa, AZ, longtime companion, Sharon Barnes, of Panama City and several nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Oaks by the Bay Park at West 9th Street and Beck Avenue, Panama City with military honors conducted by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bay County Humane Society, 1600 Bay Avenue, Panama City, FL 32405 in memory of JP Lagerloef.
Pictured is J.P., Dave Pearson, Jim Howell, and Mike McReynolds at J.P.’s Mountain Hide-a-way taken last Fall. J.P. and Sharron barbequed up some brats and we may have had a few Frostys while bending each others ear’s. We had FUN!
In my simple way of thinking, I’ll be there on the 21st. I won’t be able to make any memorials, but I will sit on your back porch on the 21st and hoist a few in your favor. I don’t know what Sharon or Kris plan on doing with the house, but if they sell it, you better warn the buyers that a bunch of bikers will be celebrating J.P.’s life on the 21st of May.
As with all of us, J.P.’s death was completely unexpected and another good friend bites the dust. In an effort to “Bring Us All A Little Bit Closer!” and in honor of J.P., I ask you to join the Combat Control Association……… It’s a good thing!
J.P. left behind Sharron Barnes and his son Kris Lagerloef.
They share a kindred amongst themselves and though never spoken, its' strength exceeds the power of any outside ideals forced upon it.
The sacrifices made from their ranks are great, and each loss falls hard among those who remain. Yet they continue, knowing each time they step into the sun, the rays that penetrate their souls are the voices of their comrades leading them on to the next adventure.
Coke Braxton
Names are but a catalyst to bring forth our memories of that person and our memories are what keep that person fresh in our hearts. I have a few more names to pass on to you and as your memories of that person flood into your heart, you'll enjoy a smile on your face and the happiness of visiting a lost friend;
Charles Abee,Clark Alberty, Ransom Andrews, Bob Annis, Derek Argel, Nick Athans, Dave Atkinson, Ray Ayers, Jim Bach, Dick Baker, Cecil Balcom, Charlie Ballard, Jerry Bennett, Jim Bezonia, Dick Bisball, Paul Bisnet, Bob Bjornstad, Donald (Mike) Callahan, Glen Bloomer, Tommy Botts, Joe Boyland, Lew Brabham, Dick Brawley, Wayne Brewer, Drummond Brown, Lawrence Buening, Jeremiah Burke, Steve Busby, Dick Callahan, Donald "Mike" Callahan, Joe Callina, Norm Campbell, Ray Carroll, John Chapman, Bob Cheffins, Eddy Clark, Steve Collette, Charlie Condict, Larry Courtroul, Pete Cox, Casey Crate, Noah Crocker, Dion Daugherty, Logan Davis, Jan Davis, Billy Dennison, Danny Deavers, Mike Dionne, Travis Dixon, Charlie Drew, Tom Drinkwater, Dave Driscoll, Harold Eaves, Doug Eccleston, Lemuel Egleston, Ray Ekenstam, LaMar Eikman, John England, Bob Engleman, Burgess Everson, David Fagan, Guy T. (Tom) Fagan, David Farmer, Warren Fisk, Calvin Florian, Bob Ford, Harold Foster, Paul Foster, Dick Foxx, Harold Freeman, Jeremy Fresques, John Fuller, John Gaa, Ron Gale, Art Galvan, Jerry Gauthier, Norris Gentry, George Genung, Jackie Gilmer, Roy Givens, Jon Goerling, Dennis Gordy, Alfred Gordy, George Gray, Rod Gress, Andre Guillet, Johnny Hall, Dick Hall, George Hamblin, Jackie Hardin, Lyle Hendricks, Dave Henry, Billy Henson, Bill Herdliska, Everett Herron, Larry Hicks, George Higby, Terry Highland, Jim Hilliard, Gary Hooper, Gene Hoover, Art Howard, Don Howie, Bobby Hudson, Dave Hughes, Derek Hughes, Jim Hughes, Alan Hutchinson, John Jacoby, William Jefferson, Dale"Critter" Jensen, Bill Jerkins, Barnard Johnson, Charlie Jones, Hosea Jones, Jim Kauffman, Ralph Kelly, Tom Kelsh, Ed Kimble, Monte Kirkpatrick, Joe Klauser, Jim Klyce, Howard Land, J.P. Lagerloef, Bob Lanier, Cliff Larimer, Moe Lattimore, Joel Launer, Rondal Lavall, Mark Lee, Bob Lee, L.V. Lewis, Don Linden, Ray Litz, Floyd Loveland, Derek Lyske, George MacLean, Ed Marion, Emillio Martinez, Louis Martinez, Chris Matero, Dave Mayer, Eugene McCarthy, Jack McConnell, Dave McCracken, Jim McGonigal, Mark McQuiston, Dan Meyer, Jerry Miedrich, Jim Mobley, Tom Monley, Noel Moore, Harry Morgan, M