AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates -- The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing brought Police Week to a close with a series of events May 20, 2022 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The event not only honors those who volunteer to defend the installations, personnel and assets of the United States Air Force but also remembers those Security Forces Defenders and Office of Special Investigations agents that have fallen in the line of duty.
This year, National Peace Officers' Memorial Day kicked off National Police Week. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as NPOMD and NPW the calendar week in which it falls. During ADAB’s day of observance, the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron began with a memorial 5K ruck or run at 0600.
Tech. Sgt. Jazmany Torres, the contracting officer’s representative of the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron’s fitness section said, “We had 82 people show up with more than half finishing with gear on or a ruck on their back. We also had 11 people volunteer to help with the event. There was a ton of support from Security Forces, the Army and some runners showed up to represent OSI, those are our biggest winners. It was a good turn-out.”
Individuals were authorized to perform the ruck in uniform with a ruck sack weighing up to 30 pounds, weighted vests or in their improved outer tactical vests with plates.
Observances continued at 1400 with an official Police Week ceremony inside the newly constructed Phantom Center, where the names of 15 Defenders and 12 Special Agents, who had fallen in the line of duty during the War on Terror, were read aloud and remembered.
Brig. Gen. Andy Clark, the commander of the 380th AEW, addressed the base’s Defenders asking them to reflect on the special power and meaning of the sacrifice of those 27 fallen Airmen.
“All pledged the same oath as you. All travelled a similar path as yours. But all gave their lives in service to their country. You share a sacred bond with all of them,” said Clark. “They are your Brothers and Sisters in Arms and you honor them every day with your service and sacrifice and I believe there is no finer tribute.”
Clark continued, “When I lie awake at night, I worry about a lot of things. But the security of our Airmen and our base is not one of them. Not once. Not ever. You are among the finest our country has to offer. Your training, expertise, and dedication to each other and our mission is second to none.”
The 380th AEW’s Base Honor Guard capped off the ceremony with a flag folding ceremony – a tribute of lasting importance to service members and their families throughout the Department of Defense.
As Airmen were released from duty across the base, the 380th ESFS hosted a barbeque at the ADAB Pavilion which included a military working dog demonstration.
When asked what keeps them going as a Defender each day, one Defender boiled it down to his mindset and the camaraderie he finds in his career field.
“I look at the bigger picture,” said Airman 1st Class Daviyhn Adams, a fire team leader with the 380th ESFS. “I look at it as, ‘I get to work here,’ not ‘Oh, I have to get up and go to work.’ It motivates me to know that, when I post out, I’m affecting the bigger picture by protecting the base and ensure everything is running properly. It’s also the relationships and camaraderie we build out here, both deployed and state side, which makes it worth it.”
Al Dhafra remembers…
AIRMAN FIRST CLASS ELIZABETH N. JACOBSON, 28 September 2005, IRAQ
STAFF SERGEANT BRIAN MCELROY, 22 January 2006, IRAQ
TECHNICAL SERGEANT JASON L. NORTON, 22 January 2006, IRAQ
AIRMAN FIRST CLASS LEEBERNARD E. CHAVIS, 14 October 2006, IRAQ
STAFF SERGEANT JOHN T. SELF, 14 May 2007, IRAQ
AIRMAN FIRST CLASS JASON D. NATHAN, 23 June 2007, IRAQ
STAFF SERGEANT TRAVIS L. GRIFFIN, 3 April 2008, IRAQ
FIRST LIEUTENANT JOSEPH D. HELTON, 8 September 2009, IRAQ
SENIOR AIRMAN NICHOLAS J. ALDEN, 2 March 2011, GERMANY
STAFF SERGEANT TODD “TJ” LOBRAICO JR, 5 September 2013, AFGHANISTAN
AIRMAN FIRST CLASS KCEY E. RUIZ, 2 October 2015, AFGHANISTAN
SENIOR AIRMAN NATHAN C. SARTAIN, 2 October 2015, AFGHANISTAN
TECHNICAL SERGEANT JOSEPH G. LEMM, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN
STAFF SERGEANT LOUIS M. BONACASA, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN
SENIOR AIRMAN JASON KHAI PHAN, 12 September 2020, KUWAIT
SPECIAL AGENT RICK A. ULBRIGHT, 8 August 2004, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT DANIEL J. KUHLMEIER, 20 February 2006, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT JOSEPH KUGLICS, 5 June 2007, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT RYAN ANDREW BALMER, 5 June 2007, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT NATHAN SCHULDHEISS, 1 November 2007, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT DAVID WIEGER,1 November 2007, IRAQ
SPECIAL AGENT THOMAS CROWELL,1 November 2007, IRAQ
MASTER SERGEANT TARA R. BROWN, 27 April 2011, AFGHANISTAN
SPECIAL AGENT ADRIANA M. VORDERBRUGGEN, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN
SPECIAL AGENT CHESTER J. MCBRIDE, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN
SPECIAL AGENT MICHAEL A. CINCO, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN
SPECIAL AGENT PETER W. TAUB, 21 December 2015, AFGHANISTAN