Courtesy Photo | The salvaged item is a piece of destroyed mission equipment from the INDEPENDENCE 08...... read more read more
In the early afternoon of April 27, 2013, Capt. Reid Nishizuka, Capt. Brandon Cyr, Staff Sgt. Daniel Fannin, and Staff Sgt. Richard Dickson, took-off from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Approximately 40 minutes after take-off, their aircraft encountered inclement weather and stalled. Despite the crew’s best efforts to recover, they crashed northeast of Kandahar Airfield. All aboard were lost.
Eighty-four seconds. It took just 84 seconds for INDEPENDENCE 08 to lose 15,000 feet from initial climb to avoid weather until impact. Two hours later, the ground force securing the crash site made the radio call … “Four heroes recovered.”
The 306th Intelligence Squadron held a 10-year INDEPENDENCE 08 Memorial Event, April 27, 2023, at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“Today, we remember and pay our respects to Staff Sgt. Richard Dickson, a tactical systems operator with the 306th Intelligence Squadron, and three other Airmen who perished when their MC-12 crashed during a combat mission over Afghanistan 10 years ago today,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Mitchell Gustin, 306th Intelligence Squadron and emcee for the event.
Presiding over the ceremony was U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Welch, 306 IS commander.
“It is our solemn duty to ensure that we never forget and that we pass down the story of these four heroes,” said Welch. “The loss of life from the crash of INDEPENDENCE 08 is a stark reminder of what our Airmen risk every day.”
Dickson, who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2006, initially served as a Korean airborne linguist, flying aboard the RC-135 Rivet Joint, according to Senior Master Felix Martinez, 306 IS senior enlisted leader.
“[Dickson] wisely decided to cross-train to be an Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operator,” said Martinez. “As an Airborne ISR Operator, Richie certified on a wide range of aircraft providing collection of critical intelligence and the ability to save the lives of friendly ground forces, which he had done many times. He logged over 1,400 combat hours, a testament to his service and combat expertise.”
After key remarks, Welch and Martinez unveiled items salvaged from the wreck of INDEPENDENCE 08 and shared the significance of those items.
“Today, we enshrine the memory of our fallen with items salvaged from the INDEPENDENCE 08 wreckage,” said Welch. “One particular piece of equipment will seem as only scorched, mangled metal to many, but for our community … our family … it is a familiar piece of equipment communicating a grim and heart-wrenching reminder.”
The salvaged item is a piece of destroyed mission equipment.
After Taps and the flag folding ceremony concluded, participants witnessed an MC-12 flyover.
The ceremony was followed by the introduction of the new 306 IS Heritage Room - dedicated to Staff Sgt. Richard Dickson.
“Richie was a decorated patriot who deeply loved his family, his nation, and this profession,” said Martinez. “He would be 35 years old in a short few days from today. He is missed by me, and I know every member of this amazing community who had the pleasure of knowing him misses him as well. I can only hope that today, we pay his memory the respect and gratitude it deserves.”
To close out the ceremony, the squadron held a moment of silence and toast to Staff Sgt. Richard Dickson.
“The 4 heroes of INDEPENDENCE 08, Capt. Reid Nishizuka, Capt. Brandon Cyr, Staff Sgt. Richard Dickson, and Staff Sgt. Daniel Fannin, fought that final 84 seconds with everything … until their watch ended,” said Welch. “They were warriors and comrades. They were family and friends. Their memories are emblazoned in our minds and on our hearts.”
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2023 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 447850 |
| Location: | WILL ROGERS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 188 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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