Four Dyess airmen assigned to the 317th Airlift Group were killed Oct. 2 when the C130-J Super Hercules aircraft crashed.
The crash occurred during takeoff from Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan.
“The death of these airmen, who died in service to our country, is a profound loss,” said Col. Michael Bob Starr, 7th Bomb Wing commander, in a released statement. “The sadness and shock of this tragedy can be felt across the entire Dyess community, and our hearts and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters in the 317th AG. We are extending every available resource to comfort and care for the family and friends of our fallen heroes.”
The four men killed were Captain. Jonathan J. Golden, 33, of Camarillo, California, Captain Jordan B. Pierson, 28, of Abilene, Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, 26, of Moundsville, West Virginia, and Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, 21, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin – two C-130J pilots and two loadmasters.
Also on the plane were two more U.S. servicemen, who were supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and five civilians who died. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Central Command Area of Responsibility.
Tamara Lewis, administrative assistant to the Taylor County Commissioners Court, said it was important that the county know they were mourning this loss, too.
Flags were flown half staff in remembrance of the fallen soldiers and stayed that way in remembrance of the students killed in the Oregon school shooting.
“We wanted to let Taylor County know that we were thinking of them,” Lewis said.
