Bravo-12 25th Anniversary

Col. David A. Scott, 433rd Airlift Wing vice commander and retired Col. Rich Ferguson, place a wreath at the BRAVO-12 Memorial Aug. 27, 2015, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Bravo-12 mission where nine 433rd AW crewmembers and four duty passengers paid the ultimate price when their C-5A Galaxy crashed on the outskirts of Ramstein Air Base, Germany in support of Operation Desert Shield. (U.S. Air Force photo by Benjamin Faske) (released)

Bravo-12 25th Anniversary

Senior Airman Todd Hagey a 433rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, integrated journeyman rings the bell for each crewmember, as Staff Sgt. Stefani Holt, 433rd AMXS aerospace maintenance craftsman, reads their names during the Bravo-12’s, 25th-anniversary ceremony Aug. 27, 2015, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The Bravo-12 mission began the morning of Aug. 29, 1990, in support of Operation Desert Shield, when engine trouble downed the C-5A Galaxy aircraft, killing nine 433rd Air Wing crew members and four duty passengers at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Benjamin Faske) (released)

Bravo-12 25th Anniversary

Col. David A. Scott, 433rd Airlift Wing vice commander, speaks at the25th anniversary of the Bravo-12 crash Aug. 27, 2015, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Nine 433rd AW crewmembers and four duty passengers paid the ultimate price when their C-5A Galaxy crashed on the outskirts of Ramstein Air Base, Germany during Operation Desert Shield. (U.S. Air Force photo by Benjamin Faske) (released)

433 AW remembers Bravo-12 25 years later

Published Aug. 28, 2015
By Senior Airman Bryan Swink
433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- 433rd Airlift Wing members honored the fallen during a Bravo-12 memorial service Aug. 27, here in front of the 68th Airlift Squadron building, when crewmembers paid the ultimate price during Operation Desert Storm.

The ceremony included a wreath being laid in front of the BRAVO-12 monument, a moment of silence and a roll call of honor, which included a bell toll for each fallen member. The event was hosted and organized by 433rd Maintenance Squadron.Nine 433rd AW crewmembers and four duty passengers were killed when the C-5A Galaxy crashed on the outskirts of Ramstein Air Base, Germany on the morning of Aug. 29, 1990.

"Today we pause to honor those nine Alamo Wing members, along with the four other Airmen, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country on that fateful morning," said, Col. David Scott, 433rd Airlift Wing vice commander. "Every time I pass by this monument or walk in the 68th Airlift Squadron, and see the bronze plaque and display that commemorate the crew, I am reminded just how precious life truly is and the dangers these brave Airmen faced."

During Operation Desert Storm, and after a successful mission in the Persian Gulf and the sands of Saudi Arabia, the BRAVO-12, crew flew to Ramstein AB. After several days there, they were asked to fly another mission carrying seven duty passengers, medical supplies, and other cargo back into the hostile area. They agreed, and as the aircraft lifted off, it experienced a mechanical difficulty and eventually crashed.

Staff Sgt. Lorenzo Galvan, a 68th Airlift Squadron loadmaster was the only member to survive. For his heroic and valiant effort in pulling two of the three surviving passengers from the burning wreckage, Galvan was awarded the Airman's Medal, for risking his life.

In August of 1990, more than 1,400 members of the 433rd AW were called to serve on active duty, during Operation Desert Storm. Only a few of the members attending the ceremony knew the crew members involved in the deadly crash. Most of the audience was not even serving in the military during that time frame and never knew much about the crash until today's observance.

"We were a very tight-knit group back then, and I knew a bunch of them very well," said retired Lt. Col. Jim Kennedy, 68th Airlift Squadron pilot. "They were good friends and just outstanding, fun-loving guys and the squadron and wing members were hurting for a long time afterward. These ceremonies are a wonderful way to pay tribute to the individuals and to showcase the amazing work they did for the mission."