Staff Sgt. Dale Young, a 342nd Training Squadron combat controller, bows his head in reflection during a memorial unveiling ceremony for Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather on Jan. 20, 2012, at Medina Annex at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Sather was the Air Force’s first combat casualty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Colville McFee)
Melanie Sather, the widow of Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather, and a family member pay their respect at the unveiling of a memorial honoring the sergeant Jan. 20, 2012, at Medina Annex at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The 12,000-pound memorial was sea-lifted from Iraq to Lackland AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Marleah Miller)
Pararescuemen, combat controllers and Pararescue Indoctrination Course trainees perform “memorial push-ups” during a memorial unveiling ceremony Jan. 20, 2012, at Medina Annex at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Originally created and displayed by Air Force civil engineers in Iraq, the memorial honors Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather, who was the Air Force’s first combat casualty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Marleah Miller)
Col. Marc Stratton, the Inter-American Air Forces Academy commandant, speaks during a memorial unveiling ceremony Jan. 20, 2012, at Medina Annex at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The ceremony was held in honor of the leadership and bravery of Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather, a combat controller and the Air Force’s first combat casualty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Marleah Miller)
1/24/2012 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AFNS) -- A memorial honoring the U.S. Air Force's first combat casualty during Operation Iraqi Freedom was unveiled Jan. 20 at Medina Annex, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather, a combat controller, was killed in Iraq on April 8, 2003.
Pararescuemen, combat controllers and Pararescue Indoctrination Course trainees attended the memorial unveiling ceremony honoring Sather.
His memorial was created and displayed by civil engineers in Iraq to honor his leadership and bravery. The memorial was sea-lifted from Sather Air Base, Iraq, to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in March 2011.
Sather, who died at 29 years old, was originally from Michigan. He was last assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
(Courtesy of Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs.)
Comments
1/30/2012 8:35:06 AM ET To Retired SNCO TSgt C and Active Conus, sounds like you all are in what we call the Chair Force. You have nothing better to do that surf the web and comment on something that you don't have all the correct info on, Retired SNCO; make ridiculous comments about a cluster, TSgt C; and talk about something that you know nothing about, Active. First off, have some respect for our fallen comrades. I have the pleasure of being stationed with these guys and have worked with them on some occasions. Bottom line is this some career fields actually have a mission to worry about where their lives are on the line. They have to train others to be prepared. Battlefield Airmen are in another league and it's a totally different AF being around those guys. I would rather stay AFSOC than be apart of Big Blue. I guess this is what my Air Force has come to, people being uniform police because they have nothing better to do. For the love of something, I would rather serve in the Army sometimes because the A
Ummmm, Deployed SWA
1/30/2012 2:51:45 AM ET For retired SNCO and TSgt C: Let me give you a little factual rundown on most Combat Controllers. On average, the only time a Combat Controller will wear his blues will be when he is attending PME, a formal awards ceremony, their retirement or a funeral service for a fallen comrade. SSgt Young was probably pressed for time getting his uniform done since he is an instructor and just goofed on getting his ribbons set up. The Gold border was probably supposed to go on a Joint Meritorious Unit award and he mistakenly put it on his AF Outstanding Unit award. As for those who criticize his ribbons, note that he has a Bronze Star and Combat Action Medal and actually earned his Bronze Star, unlike most support SNCO's who never go outside the COB in theater or do a 4 month tour in Qatar and get a Bronze Star for just filling a leadership position, i.e. just doing your administrative job.Those who are quick to criticize, do you have the guts to go through a two year pipeline? Could you
Hector Rivera Jr., Utah
1/27/2012 10:29:14 PM ET Wow. Awesome display of your knowledge of Ribbon racks. Because that's what's important here. Retired SNCO and TSgt C, thanks for clearing up the Bigger Picture for those reading the article....Because the ribbons is what matters. Nice observation..Some people's kids man...SMDH
rescue sprout, Google Me
1/27/2012 4:21:13 PM ET Seriously...give me a break Put the story in context and save the drams. I guess it's true that our Air Force gets better one retirement at a time Standards are vital to mission success...but put this story in perspective.
Dave, OKC
1/27/2012 1:13:05 PM ET Appalled: please understand that retired and TSgt have valid points. If the ribbons are wrong, what else are they doing wrong? Running at PT with shirts untucked?
Active, conus
1/25/2012 5:39:31 PM ET SERIOUSLY YOU TWO Retired SNCO and TSgt C. Get off it. Have some freaking respect for fallen Airmen and for a special class of people who are willing to do way more than you. Carry on Pararescuemen.
Appalled, San Antonio TX
1/25/2012 11:51:01 AM ET @Retired SNCO: Don't forget to mention that SSgt Young's clusters on his ribbons are turned the wrong way...
TSgt C, Somewhere in the AF
1/25/2012 11:25:04 AM ET Notes for Retired SNCO: 1. Have some decorum. An article about a memorial for someone who gave his last full measure is not a forum for you to play uniform police, especially when you admit you may not know the full story. 2. Insulting a majority of professional Airmen by an obvious fact-free generalization only really reflects poorly on you. 3. Enjoy retirement. We got this.
Rev Mike, Hawaii
1/25/2012 9:23:35 AM ET I lead the Honor Guard team that conducted the unveiling of the memorial at Sather Air Base, Baghdad IAP, Iraq, during my deployment from 2009-2010. Happy to see it was moved back home when we left Iraq.
Jeremy Smith MSgt USAF, Ramstein Air Base Germany
1/24/2012 9:32:35 PM ET Glad to see that a memorial from the Sather AB makes it back from Iraq. I hope when we leave AFG the Cunningham memorial makes it back too. SSgt Young is sharp in his uniform but needs to review his vMPF. The gold border is not authorized on the AFOUA per the AFPC web site. Then again it could be out-dated or the editors of af.mil have the same sloppy standards as most PA shops.
