Photo By Master Sgt. Annette Kornasiewicz | A memorial display consisting of Lt. Col. Kevin Sonnenberg's restored Pontiac Trans-Am...... read more read more
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By Tech. Sgt Annette Kornasiewicz and Lt. Col. Thomas Gee
180th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MCCLURE, Ohio - If one can judge a man's greatness by where his devotions lie, then one can say that Lt. Col. Kevin Sonnenberg was truly a great man. His dedication to God, family, country and airplanes shaped him into a hero that all can look up to, be inspired by, and emulate in everyday life -- a hero to be remembered forever.
Sonnenberg, a pilot with the 180th Fighter Wing of Toledo, Ohio, crashed shortly after takeoff and tragically died on June 15 while flying his F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft near Balad Air Base, Iraq.
Sonnenberg was one of 350 members of the 180th participating in an Air Expeditionary Forces (AEF) deployment. He had just departed on a mission to provide air support to coalition ground forces fighting anti-Iraq forces when the crash occurred, 35 miles north of Baghdad.
"His priorities were like this: God, family, country, airplanes," said his mother, Jean Sonnenberg.
Sonnenberg faithfully worshiped at a small country church in the middle of Henry County's
farmland.
"Kevin always said Henry County is God's country," Jean said. "He's in God's country now."
On June 26, hundreds of family, friends, unit members and retirees gathered one last time to say goodbye to Sonnenberg at the Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in rural Deshler, Ohio. The entire church and its basement were filled and additional seating that included a tent area with video screens to view the service was available for hundreds of people attending outside the church.
"He laid down the ultimate sacrifice for his friends and his country. Nothing can be greater than this," said the Rev. Thomas E. Smuda, Sonnenberg's pastor who presided over the service and who had known Kevin and his family for years.
"He was a terrific son," Jean said. "The worst part of all this is that he just didn't have enough time to spend with his wife."
Kevin and his wife, Lorin Sonnenberg, were married in August 2006.
"They were perfect for each other," said Jennifer Miller, Kevin's sister. "They were so in love."
Family members also expressed how devoted Kevin was to his stepson, 6-year-old Carson Orr.
In addition to his deep devotion to his family, Sonnenberg was also dedicated to the military.
"He just loved flying those jets," said Vickie Schulze, one of Kevin's three sisters.
Sonnenberg, a traditional member of the Ohio Air National Guard, was assigned to
the 180th in 1990.
"If he knew what would eventually happen to him, I'm not sure he would have changed a thing," Miller said. "He still would have been a pilot."
On June 23, family, friends, unit members and retirees came together when Sonnenberg was returned to the 180th Fighter Wing. Formal military honors were paid to Sonnenberg during the ceremony. The pilot had touched so many lives in such a profound way, as described later that weekend by Lt. Col. Tony Iannucci, fighter pilot at the 180th and personal friend of Sonnenberg.
"I can honestly say that Kevin was a man who, when you met him, you considered him a friend," said Iannucci., "He absolutely did not have an enemy in the world."
On June 24-25, family, friends, unit members and retirees paid their respects to Sonnenberg during visitations held at the Rodenberger Funeral Home in Napoleon, Ohio, not far from where Sonnenberg grew up.
A slide show presentation including Sonnenberg's childhood, family times, military career and recent wedding was shown, and a collection of Sonnenberg's high school, military and other professional awards also were on hand for friends to remember and reflect upon.
Sonnenberg was a 1983 graduate of Napoleon High School, where he was an active athlete, played football and earned several individual awards, including state honors while wrestling for the Wildcats in the Great Lakes League.
He attended Bowling Green State University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1987.
In addition to his Air National Guard career, Sonnenberg had been a commercial pilot for Delta Airlines since 2000. He was also an avid farmer and helped maintain 500 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans with his father, Marvin. He will be fondly remembered as a renaissance man able to maneuver America's most advanced aircraft in a perilous war zone one week and discuss corn and soybean crops with Henry County farmers the next, and he did both with his natural, down-home nature that endeared him to so many.
As the motorcade left the church and winded through the small farming communities of Deshler to McClure, residents lined the streets with flags in their hands, on their homes and businesses to honor their fallen community member and friend.
A memorial display including Sonnenberg's Ford F-100 pickup truck, John Deere farm tractors and restored Pontiac Trans-Am at his parents' home could been seen by travelers on the way to the Hockman Cemetery in McClure.
"To Sonny's parents, I would like to say if you ever wondered if you made a difference in this world, look around you, you raised a wonderful son," said Iannucci while presenting the eulogy during the service, referring to the hundreds of people in attendance.
Sonnenberg was presented with the Bronze Star, awarded posthumously for his innovative military efforts in securing coalition forces dominance and supporting troops in combat situations.
The Bronze Star, awarded to members of all branches of military service for either combat heroism or meritorious service, was presented to Sonnenberg's wife Lorin by Col. Mark Bartman, 180th Fighter Wing commander.
In addition to earning the Bronze Star, Sonnenberg had earned many service medals including the Meritorious Service Medal with Valor, Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal and the Ohio Distinguished Service Medal with Valor.
Sonnenberg earned many of these medals and others during his numerous deployments with the unit, including Operation Northern Watch, Turkey; Operation Southern Watch, Kuwait; Operation Enduring Freedom, Qatar; and Operation Iraqi, Freedom, Iraq.
Sonnenberg was given full military honors including a three-volley firing sequence from the 180th Fighter Wing Honor Guard and an F-16 flyby with missing man formation at the conclusion of taps. Throughout the past few days, where family, friends, unit members and retirees had come together to morn the Kevin Sonnenberg, the main sentiment was felt by all that he was a man of great integrity and character.
"He wasn't flashy or showy. He did not try to impress people," Iannucci said. "I guess that's what made him so impressive."
Bartman said he deeply felt the outstanding support that the unit received from the local community.
"I would like to personally thank each and every member of the northwest Ohio community who provided so much support to the family of Lt. Col. Kevin Sonnenberg and the 180th Fighter Wing," Bartman said. "Unfortunately, that would be an impossible task because of the sheer number of citizens who stepped forward to help a neighbor in need.
"The 180th has always considered itself to be an integral part of all the communities in the greater Toledo area and the show of support we received from law enforcement, firefighters, local businesses, professional military organizations and private citizens was truly inspirational and moving," Bartman said. "The voluntary nature of the Citizen-Airman in the Air National Guard today requires a very special individual with especially strong feelings of duty to their country.
Kevin was one of those individuals who volunteered to go to Iraq and put his life on the line as a fighter pilot. Although my heart aches for Kevin's family, my faith in the community has been revitalized.
The men and women of the 180th Fighter Wing, our former members and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to all citizens of the northwestern Ohio communities."
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2007 12:20 |
| Story ID: | 11450 |
| Location: | MCCLURE, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 1,713 |
| Downloads: | 1,235 |
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