386th AEW Airmen honor brother-in-arms who paid ultimate sacrifice

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing look on in formation while an Honor Guard team lowers the flag during retreat July 4. Immediately following the ceremony, the flag was taken to the site of Ware Memorial to witness its dedication. After the dedication, the flag was sent to Airman 1st Class Carl Ware Jr.'s family. Airman Ware was killed in a non-combat related incident in July of 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff. Sgt. Raymond Mills)

386th AEW Airmen honor brother-in-arms who paid ultimate sacrifice

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Staff. Sgt. Tracy Praznik, 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operations support NCOIC, and Col. Paul Curlett, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing outgoing commander, remove a covering from the street sign for Ware Ave. The street was named after Airman 1st Class Carl Ware, who was killed in a non-combat-related incident in July of 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Dumboski)

386th AEW Airmen honor brother-in-arms who paid ultimate sacrifice

Published July 10, 2007
By Senior Airman Andrew Dumboski
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Airmen of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing honored Airman 1st Class Carl Ware Jr. July 4 with the naming of Ware Avenue and the dedication of a memorial.

Airman Ware was killed in a non-combat incident, July 1, 2006, while deployed to the 886th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at Camp Bucca, Iraq.

"Airman 1st Class Carl J. Ware, JR. will be remembered as an Airman, a father, a son, a husband, and a brother-in-arms for his ultimate sacrifice to our country;" Staff Sgt. Tracy Praznik, 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron operations support NCOIC, said during the ceremony.

The ceremony immediately followed retreat. After the American flag was lowered, a Security Forces' troop holding the flag was escorted by HMMWV to the site of the memorial to witness the dedication.

The memorial features a rock outline in the shape of the Air Force Security Forces' shield. It is filled in with dark crushed rocks and the words "DEFENSOR FORTIS" are spelled out at its base. In the center, is a plaque that explains who Airmen Ware was and how he died.

After the flag arrived, wing leadership unveiled the memorial as well as a street sign nearby that reads: "WARE AVE."

"Although Airman Ware was not killed in direct combat he did lose his life while serving as a member of the 386th AEW, we're doing this because no matter the reason, the loss of an Airman is still a loss, and he deserves to be remembered," Sergeant Praznik said.

Ware Ave. is the fourth street named after a fallen 386th AEW Airman. The others include Norton and McElroy Avenues, after Tech. Sgt. Jason Norton and Staff Sgt. Brian McElroy, who were both killed in action Jan. 22, 2006; and Jacobson Ave., after Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson, who was killed in action in September 2005.

When a 386th AEW Airman is killed, it's a wing tradition to name a street after them on the anniversary of their death. The wing plans to dedicate Barnes Avenue in June of 2008, after Airman 1st Class Eric Barnes, who was killed June 10 while on a convoy mission in Iraq.

"We build the memorials in the hope that Airmen will not forget that even thought we are, for the most part, safe here within the confines of the base, our fellow Airman are out in harms way, everyday," Sergeant Praznik said. "This fight may not be at our front door but it is here and we are losing our fellow Airmen. I hope that these will be permanent reminders of the price that our fellow Airmen have paid."