Air Forc
e officials dedicated a memorial Jan. 13 at the Museum of Military History in Jacksonville, Ark., to the six airmen who perished in the crash of an Arkansas Air National Guard C-130 transport during a training flight June 8, 1988. The aircraft, assigned to the 189th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Ark., went down near Greenville, Miss., killing Maj. Andy Zwaan, 2nd Lt. Mark Brandt, 2nd Lt. Thomas Leece, MSgt. Ed Smith Jr., MSgt. Danny Holland, and SSgt. David Bingham. About 150 family members, friends, and current and former military members were on hand for the dedication to the crew of the aircraft, which had the call sign Demon 51. The memorial includes a plaque with the six airmen’s photos and a single propeller blade from one of the aircraft’s engines. (Jacksonville report by MSgt. Bob Oldham)
Since U.S. forces withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, they have been “commuting to work” via aircraft to help train Somali troops, but without a ground presence there is limited intelligence understanding, the head of U.S. Africa Command told lawmakers. In December 2020, former President Donald J. Trump ordered U.S.…