An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

'Visionary' Airmen who died in '82 D.C. crash recognized in Florida

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa
  • Florida National Guard
TAMPA, Fla --  Thirty-three years after a tragic airplane crash in Washington, D.C., took the lives of 78 people, the Florida Air National Guard recognized three of the victims for helping create a lasting impact on its Citizen-Airmen.

On Jan. 13, the 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron (JCSS) placed a brick bearing the names of Soldiers Maj. Ralph Herman, Sgt. Maj. James Dixon, and Lt. Col. George Mattar in its newly established memorial brick garden in front of its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base. This first brick will in the future "be surrounded by bricks of other significant people who have contributed to the 290th's mission," according to 290th JCSS Lt. Col. Matthew Giles.

(Full Story)