Law enforcement members honored during Police Week

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Silence falls upon a group of law enforcement professionals standing at attention in a formation, a hand-held radio is keyed and the ceremony begins:

Control, raise Senior Airman Nicholas Alden.

Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, control...Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, control...Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, control. Ma'am, there is no response from Senior Airman Nicholas Alden.

Control, can I get a time check please?

Ma'am, the time is 1646 and the date is May 19, 2011.

Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, from your Defender family, our thanks for a job well done. Control, remove Senior Airman Nicholas Alden from accountability for the last time.

All personnel stand by unless you have an emergency -- Attention all police -- All units be advised, on March 2, 2011, the security forces squadron has retired Senior Airman Nicholas Alden for the final time.

Members of security forces, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the South Korean air force honored two law enforcement Airmen by ceremonially retiring them and removing them from duty May 19.

The ceremony was part of National Police Week, which ran from May 15 to 21, and honored law enforcement members who died in the line of duty.

"Over the past year, both the Office of Special Investigations and security forces have suffered tragic losses of outstanding Airmen," said Maj. Traci Wallace, 5th Field Investigations Squadron. "We are gathered here today to honor the service and mourn the loss of Master Sgt. Tarra Jacobs Brown from the Office of Special Investigations and Senior Airman Nicholas Alden from security forces."

"Today we join together to comfort each other, grieve our lost colleagues and publically declare that each one has brought honor to our Air Force and our nation," said Lt. Col. Shan Nuckols, 5th FIS commander. "They demonstrated the true meaning of heroism and together we respectfully pledge that their courage and service will not be forgotten."

"We celebrate the sacrifice and professionalism of you every day, and your civilian counterparts in the U.S.," said Lt. Col. James Damato, 51st Security Forces Squadron commander. "But tragically we have to have events like this to memorialize the dead and wounded, which unfortunately are too numerous over the years."

To end the ceremony, base honor guard members folded a flag in remembrance of the fallen Airmen and a recording of "Taps" was played to pay final respects.

The names of other fallen security forces members and OSI agents are:

Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown
Special Agent Ryan Balmer
Special Agent Thomas Crowell
Special Agent Daniel Kuhlmeier
Special Agent Nathan Schuldheiss
Special Agent Rick A. Ulbright
Special Agent David Wieger
Special Agent Raymond Round
Special Agent Mathew J. Kuglics
Special Agent Lee C. Hitchcock
Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden
Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson
Tech. Sgt. Jason L. Norton
Staff Sgt. James R. Day
Airman 1st Class Charles V. Campbell Jr.
Sgt. Stacy Edward Levay
Security Policeman Sean Elms
Staff Sgt. John Self
Airman 1st Class Erin Fraiser
Security Policeman Robert R. Dover
Security Policeman Robert Scott Gray
Security Policeman Roy Lee Hursey
Staff Sgt. Travis L. Griffin
Airman 1st Class Steven Faust
Airman 1st Class Charles J. Fedorka
1st Lt. Joseph D. Helton
Staff Sgt. Brian S. McElroy
Airman 1st Class Leebernard E. Chavis
Staff Sgt. Michael Watts
Tech. Sgt. Charles Simons
Airman 1st Class David R. Schroeder Jr.
Tech. Sgt. Robert Bruce Butler
Security Policeman William C. Herrington
Security Policeman Thomas L. Campbell
Tech. Sgt. Isiah Roberts
Capt. Reginald V. Maisey
Senior Airman Jason D. Nathan
Airman 1st Class Aaron Davis Jr.
Cpl. Joseph R. Morin