Eric B. Das, a captain in the United States Air Force, was killed on April 7, 2003, when he was piloting an Air Force F-15E that went down during a combat mission over Iraq. Capt. Das and crewmate Maj. Watkins III had been serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom when their plane went down over Iraq. Capt. Das, son of missionaries, was born when his parents were working in the Netherlands. People who knew him said two things stand out about his life : He always wanted to be a pilot and he openly professed his Christian faith. While in Colorado Springs, his family lived near the Air Force Academy where Das watched planes fly overhead and people parachute from the sky. He eventually went to school there.
When Eric Das was a kid, growing up in Amarillo, TX, he was on the Track and Field team at Amarillo High School. Coach Jim Langdon recalled conversations he had with Das. “Whenever an airplane flew overhead, he’d point up and say, ‘Coach, do you know what kind of plane that is?’ I’d say ‘No’. Then he’d tell me. He knew every kind of plane that flew in the sky. He was the kind of kid who made coaching fun,” said Langdon, who remembers Das even though it’s been more than ten years since he graduated from Amarillo and went on to the Air Force Academy. After earning his wings and a degree in civil engineering, Das was stationed in Alaska. It was here where he met his future wife, Nikki, a 25-year-old first lieutenant in the Air Force. They met at the Officer’s Club, and were married 18 months later. They were deployed to Kuwait shortly after the wedding and stationed in side-by-side tents- he as a pilot, she as an intelligence officer. “We’d eat together in the mess hall and he’d joke that he was buying,” she said. “You have to have priorities in life, and Eric had them- God, family, and country, in that order,” Nikki Das said. “He had a wonderful magnetic spirit. He had a fulfilled life, and he died doing the thing he loved. He was very patriotic. And our freedom is not free.
Air Force Staff Sergeant Patrick Lee Griffin Jr.
Patrick Lee Griffin Jr., an Air Force Staff Sergeant from South Carolina was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom after his convoy was ambushed enroute to Baghdad. Sgt. Griffin, an Elgin, South Carolina native, was killed Tuesday May 13, 2003 near Diwaniyah, Iraq declared U.S. Defense officials. Sgt. Griffin was a data systems technician assigned to the 728th Air Control Squadron based out of Eglin Air Force Base, FL. Griffin’s stepmother, Paula Griffin of Groton, NY, said her husband was overwhelmed with the loss of his only son. “He’d only been there three weeks,” she said. “We thought the war was over with… It was a total shock.”
Sergeant Griffin married his wife Michelle, a childhood friend, in 1997, and Michelle later gave birth to son Cory, 4, and Mackensie, 2,. “He enjoyed his children tremendously,” his stepmother said. “He just adored them. He adored his wife.”
Griffin joined the Air Force five years ago to take advantage of education benefits, and was just recently promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant this past February. A memorial service was held for Sgt. Griffin on Friday May 16, 2003 at the Eglin Chapel Center. Colonel Teg Kresge, 33rd Fighter Wing Commander, took a few moments to speak. “We should thank God for the men and women willing to serve our country in dangerous places. Sergeant Griffin represents the best of them. He died fighting evil people who want nothing more than to kill Americans. In a very real sense, he gave his life for all of us.
Air Force Major William R. Watkins III
The late Major William R. Watkins III, an Air Force major from southern Virginia, was killed in action on April 6, 2003, when his aircraft went down over northern Iraq. Nicknamed “Salty” by his fellow fliers, Maj. Watkins leaves behind a wife and 10- month- old son. He and his wife were expecting a second child in August. The 37-year-old husband and father of two was a weapons system officer on an F-15E Strike Eagle combat jet that went down during a bombing mission in a hostile area of northern Iraq. A statement released by his family said, “Bill’s love of God, country, family and life to the fullest was an example for all. He cherished every friendship and relationship in his life and was truly an inspiration to our family, friends, fellow servicemen, and to all who knew him. Bill’s legacy will continue in the lives of his two children as it will in the memories that each of us holds dear to this truly caring and loving man.” Maj. Watkins graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, and went on to serve the Navy for 12 years as a flight officer on A6-E Intruders and F-14A Tomcats. He transferred to the Air Force in 2001 and served as a weapons system officer in the F-15E. He was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC where his wife, Major Melissa Watkins serves as an intelligence officer. His wife, to whom he had been married in 1998, said that he was proud to have recently been selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel. “We have always been, and we will continue to be, proud to have known him even for this very short time. We are truly grateful for the love, support, and prayers for us in this time of loss and sorrow,” the family statement read. During his high school years at Woodberry Forest High School, Bill Watkins was a part-time disc jockey at WHLF, an AM station. “He was a great guy, very likable,” said the former station manager.
As a bagpiper slowly played taps, Major Melissa Watkins stood solemnly at attention in front of the casket carrying the body of her husband, Air Force Major William R. Watkins III. In her womb, she carries their child, who will grow up without a father, but safe in the knowledge that he died heroically, serving his country. In a somber ceremony at South Boston’s Oak Ridge Cemetery, Watkins was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action and the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. He was also posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel. As a formation of fighter jets thundered overhead, a light rain began to fall. With “Amazing Grace” playing in the background, the family slowly proceeded past Watkin’s remains, laying flowers and mementos on the wooden casket. Then Melissa Watkins, who had led the procession, cut back slowly through the line and knelt before the casket. As many in the crowd wept, she gently kissed her husband’s casket and said her final goodbye.
Eric B. Das, a captain in the United States Air Force, was killed on April 7, 2003, when he was piloting an Air Force F-15E that went down during a combat mission over Iraq. Capt. Das and crewmate Maj. Watkins III had been serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom when their plane went down over Iraq. Capt. Das, son of missionaries, was born when his parents were working in the Netherlands. People who knew him said two things stand out about his life : He always wanted to be a pilot and he openly professed his Christian faith. While in Colorado Springs, his family lived near the Air Force Academy where Das watched planes fly overhead and people parachute from the sky. He eventually went to school there.
When Eric Das was a kid, growing up in Amarillo, TX, he was on the Track and Field team at Amarillo High School. Coach Jim Langdon recalled conversations he had with Das. “Whenever an airplane flew overhead, he’d point up and say, ‘Coach, do you know what kind of plane that is?’ I’d say ‘No’. Then he’d tell me. He knew every kind of plane that flew in the sky. He was the kind of kid who made coaching fun,” said Langdon, who remembers Das even though it’s been more than ten years since he graduated from Amarillo and went on to the Air Force Academy. After earning his wings and a degree in civil engineering, Das was stationed in Alaska. It was here where he met his future wife, Nikki, a 25-year-old first lieutenant in the Air Force. They met at the Officer’s Club, and were married 18 months later. They were deployed to Kuwait shortly after the wedding and stationed in side-by-side tents- he as a pilot, she as an intelligence officer. “We’d eat together in the mess hall and he’d joke that he was buying,” she said. “You have to have priorities in life, and Eric had them- God, family, and country, in that order,” Nikki Das said. “He had a wonderful magnetic spirit. He had a fulfilled life, and he died doing the thing he loved. He was very patriotic. And our freedom is not free.
Patrick Lee Griffin Jr., an Air Force Staff Sergeant from South Carolina was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom after his convoy was ambushed enroute to Baghdad. Sgt. Griffin, an Elgin, South Carolina native, was killed Tuesday May 13, 2003 near Diwaniyah, Iraq declared U.S. Defense officials. Sgt. Griffin was a data systems technician assigned to the 728th Air Control Squadron based out of Eglin Air Force Base, FL. Griffin’s stepmother, Paula Griffin of Groton, NY, said her husband was overwhelmed with the loss of his only son. “He’d only been there three weeks,” she said. “We thought the war was over with… It was a total shock.”
Sergeant Griffin married his wife Michelle, a childhood friend, in 1997, and Michelle later gave birth to son Cory, 4, and Mackensie, 2,. “He enjoyed his children tremendously,” his stepmother said. “He just adored them. He adored his wife.”
Griffin joined the Air Force five years ago to take advantage of education benefits, and was just recently promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant this past February. A memorial service was held for Sgt. Griffin on Friday May 16, 2003 at the Eglin Chapel Center. Colonel Teg Kresge, 33rd Fighter Wing Commander, took a few moments to speak. “We should thank God for the men and women willing to serve our country in dangerous places. Sergeant Griffin represents the best of them. He died fighting evil people who want nothing more than to kill Americans. In a very real sense, he gave his life for all of us.
The late Major William R. Watkins III, an Air Force major from southern Virginia, was killed in action on April 6, 2003, when his aircraft went down over northern Iraq. Nicknamed “Salty” by his fellow fliers, Maj. Watkins leaves behind a wife and 10- month- old son. He and his wife were expecting a second child in August. The 37-year-old husband and father of two was a weapons system officer on an F-15E Strike Eagle combat jet that went down during a bombing mission in a hostile area of northern Iraq. A statement released by his family said, “Bill’s love of God, country, family and life to the fullest was an example for all. He cherished every friendship and relationship in his life and was truly an inspiration to our family, friends, fellow servicemen, and to all who knew him. Bill’s legacy will continue in the lives of his two children as it will in the memories that each of us holds dear to this truly caring and loving man.” Maj. Watkins graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, and went on to serve the Navy for 12 years as a flight officer on A6-E Intruders and F-14A Tomcats. He transferred to the Air Force in 2001 and served as a weapons system officer in the F-15E. He was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC where his wife, Major Melissa Watkins serves as an intelligence officer. His wife, to whom he had been married in 1998, said that he was proud to have recently been selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel. “We have always been, and we will continue to be, proud to have known him even for this very short time. We are truly grateful for the love, support, and prayers for us in this time of loss and sorrow,” the family statement read. During his high school years at Woodberry Forest High School, Bill Watkins was a part-time disc jockey at WHLF, an AM station. “He was a great guy, very likable,” said the former station manager.
As a bagpiper slowly played taps, Major Melissa Watkins stood solemnly at attention in front of the casket carrying the body of her husband, Air Force Major William R. Watkins III. In her womb, she carries their child, who will grow up without a father, but safe in the knowledge that he died heroically, serving his country. In a somber ceremony at South Boston’s Oak Ridge Cemetery, Watkins was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action and the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. He was also posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel. As a formation of fighter jets thundered overhead, a light rain began to fall. With “Amazing Grace” playing in the background, the family slowly proceeded past Watkin’s remains, laying flowers and mementos on the wooden casket. Then Melissa Watkins, who had led the procession, cut back slowly through the line and knelt before the casket. As many in the crowd wept, she gently kissed her husband’s casket and said her final goodbye.