Active duty airmen, reservists, and civilians gathered Nov. 11 at McGuire AFB, N.J. to pay tribute to those airmen who lost their lives flying the C-141 Starlifter. The Veterans Day service took place at the base’s new Starlifter C-141 Memorial Park, a contribution from the Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Foundation, whose president, Ted Strempack, said the “park will become a sacred meeting place to visit, honor, and remember.” During 30 years of C-141 operations at McGuire, the base lost 72 airmen and passengers in five accidents involving the aircraft. (McGuire report by Capt. Derrick Lee and Gary Boyd)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.