DAVE BENJAMIN A veteran lays a flower at a McGuire Air Force Base memorial that honors servicemen who died in crashes involving C-141 cargo planes. A chaplain who spoke at the Nov. 11 ceremony said, "We honor all of them with deepest admiration and respect." WRIGHTSTOWN — Airmen who have flown the C-141 Starlifter and have given their lives in service to the United States will never be forgotten.

That was the message heard as veterans, active armed forces personnel and guests attended an 11 a.m. Veterans Day memorial dedication at McGuire Air Force Base on Nov. 11.

Chaplain Lt. Col. Joseph D. Lim addressed the gathering, saying, "We have gathered here today on this Veterans Day in the spirit of Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Jr. to dedicate the C-141 Starlifter Memorial Park as a gift from the illustrious Thomas B. McGuire Foundation. It is a fitting tribute to the Starlifter's greatest achievements as the backbone of airlift operations for almost 40 long years."

Lim said the memorial park at McGuire Air Force Base was being dedicated to the men and women who have flown and maintained the aircraft and to the memory of 37 servicemen who gave their lives while serving on the aircraft.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BENJAMIN Vice Commander Col. Scott F. Smith, 305th Air Mobility Wing, speaks at the Nov. 11 ceremony at McGuire Air Force Base, Wrightstown. Speaking of servicemen who gave their lives while serving on the C-141, Smith said, "The sacrifice and dedication of those airmen who crewed this majestic bird behind me is precisely what we remember and celebrate on this glorious morning." They are: Capt. Thomas R. Dietz, Capt. Clinton C. Corbin, 1st Lt. Clinton C. Kuhn, Maj. Friedrich Lamers, Tech. Sgt. Ronald R. Wells, Tech. Sgt. Edward R. Babock, Tech. Sgt. Sidney N. Hillsman, 1st Lt. Leo D. Sullivan, 1st Lt. Glen F. Bialke, 2nd Lt. Jeffrey T. Wilson, Tech. Sgt. Garland B. Peer, Staff Sgt. Carlos M. Perez, Tech. Sgt. Patrick F. Quinn, Staff Sgt. Charlie J. Bass, Capt. John R. Mc- Nally.

And, Capt. Leslie C. Brissette, Capt. Dale C. Johnson, 1st Lt. David A. Lynch, 1st Lt. William G. Martine, Capt. Robert A. Eigenrauch, Capt. Kenneth M. Burkhart, Maj. Alessandro Corona, Master Sgt. Richard M. Cleven, Tech. Sgt. Gaston J. Vargas, Staff Sgt. Henry R. Demsy, Staff Sgt. John H. Blackley, Staff Sgt. Glenn K. Haberbush, Maj. Edwin C. Payne, Capt. Peter C. Vallejo, Capt. Gregory Cindrich, Capt. John S. Ramsey, Staff Sgt. Robert K. Evans, Staff Sgt. Scott N. Roberts, Senior Airman Gary Bucknam, Staff Sgt. Stacy D. Bryant, Airman Justin R. Drager and Senior Airman Franklin L. Walker.

"We honor all of them with deepest admiration and respect," Lim said. "And to all of our veterans [and those] who paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedoms we now enjoy, bless the men and women of courage who still stand in harm's way [as

they] guard the gates of freedom across the world."

New Jersey Congressman Jim Saxton said it is fitting that the C-141, a vintage aircraft, will stand as a monument to freedom. He said the need for strategic airlift capability was first identified during the Berlin airlift in the late 1940s. It took 10 years for Congress to understand the need, and on Aug. 22, 1963, the Air Force accepted the first C-141, and that was the beginning of an incredible era of strategic airlift prowess, he said.

"In 1973 the C-141 brought home more than 500 American POWs from North Vietnam," Saxton said. "In 1983 the C-141 transported 78 wounded marines from Beirut back home, and during Desert Storm the C-141 flew over 37,000 sorties and was the backbone of the allied military buildup," the congressman said.

Saxton reminded all who were present of the sacrifice of those who flew the C-141 and were lost in crashes in Spain (Aug. 28, 1973), Greenland (Aug. 28, 1976), England (Aug. 28, 1976) and Namibia (Sept. 13, 1997). He said the servicemen who died will be remembered.

The C-141 Starlifter was christened the Garden State Starlifter because it was the first C-141 assigned to McGuire, a base that became the hub of C-141 operations with more than 60 Starlifters assigned at peak strength.

Used primarily for troop and cargo transport, the Starlifter was able to carry more than 68,000 pounds of cargo, 200 troops or 155 paratroopers, 103 litters and 14 medical attendants anywhere in the world.

Over the years, the aircraft was deployed to Southeast Asia, where it shuttled home troops from Vietnam. It supported the NASA Apollo missions logistically and took part in a mission for President Richard Nixon's east/west summit meeting in the Azores in December 1971.

The C-141 supported Deep Freeze 72 in Antarctica in October 1971 and has flown prisoners and guards from Vietnam during the Deserter Air Evacuation. The aircraft took part in the resupply missions of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

In 1974 the aircraft performed special weapon deployments, carrying the Minuteman II and other missiles as part of its regular assignment. The aircraft supported Army, Navy and Marines in joint airborne training exercises and it took part in Just Cause in 1989, spearheading the largest wartime paratrooper deployment since World War II.

In the early 1990s the Starlifter supported Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. It served in numerous other missions and was converted to a special operations lowlevel aircraft supporting classified operations up to and including Operation Enduring Freedom.

Ted Strempack, president of the Thomas B. Maguire Foundation, said, "We are here today to present the gift of this [memorial] park. The foundation is an organization of community members who want to demonstrate their appreciation to their military neighbors who serve them so proudly."

He said the memorial park will become a sacred place to visit, honor and remember.

Vice Commander Col. Scott F. Smith, 305th Air Mobility Wing, said, "The sacrifice and dedication of those airmen who crewed this majestic bird behind me is precisely what we remember and celebrate on this glorious morning."

Smith said the C-141 was the world's first all-purpose jet airlifter and served as the backbone of America's strategic airlift force from 1965 to 2004. Starlifter crews were often the first responders to conflict and disaster around the world, he said.

On May 9, 1983, the stretched version of the C-141, the C-141B No. 640639, made history when it became the first military cargo jet to be crewed solely by women during a trans-Atlantic air evacuation mission.

He said the C-141 delivered American

power and hope to every corner of the world.

"On Aug. 8, 1967, this Garden State Starlifter, tail No. 667947, made its appearance at McGuire Air Force Base," Smith said. "It was the first and the marquee of more than 60 Starlifters that eventually made McGuire home. This very aircraft flew every single mission the C-141 was capable of flying. [This aircraft] was and is still the epitome of mission excellence and the embodiment of global reach."

Commander Col.

James L. Kerr, 514th

Air Mobility Wing, reminded those who were present for the dedication of the memorial park to follow their dream as he had done since he was a farm boy in Kentucky. He said he saw a C- 141 flying into Fort Campbell and decided that is what he would do someday.

Last week Kerr had another message.

"We meet together today in the hope that there are thousands of others that are meeting to commemorate those who are serving, who have served and those who have sacrificed by giving their lives," he said. "The day we stop doing this will be the day that we stop appreciating our freedom."