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Khobar Towers bombing victims memorialized

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia (USTCNS) --- "On a nice, muggy summer evening four years ago, a tragedy occurred." With these sobering words, Col. Homer Smith Jr., 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander, began the ceremony honoring the 19 airmen who lost their lives in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

About 150 people gathered June 25 to pay their respects in front of the memorial dedicated to the bombing victims.

Smith emphasized that we must never forget what these service members gave for our freedom.

"This rock is dedicated to the memory of the 19 airmen who paid the ultimate price," he said, adding that everyone should visit the memorial room while they're here. "When your replacements arrive, bring them to this place … inside we have memorabilia from Khobar Towers, though it does not adequately reflect what our people suffered that night. We have photographs of our people engaged in heroic actions as they cared for their fallen comrades."

Following Smith's remarks, each of the victim's names were read while a line of airmen stood quietly and placed small flags in the rock memorial. The memorial aptly states: "Their sacrifice shall blaze as a flame in our hearts."

Four airmen who were in Dhahran when the bombing occurred then slowly approached the memorial and laid a wreath at its base. Staff Sgt. Angel Marsh, from the 363rd Expeditionary Supply Squadron, was one of them.

"I'm just overwhelmed," she said, wiping tears away. "This emotion took me by surprise."

Marsh's injuries from the bombing included a scratched cornea and numerous cuts from glass shards, but she knows she is lucky to have survived. She said she probably hasn't fully dealt with what happened that night. "That's why I came back."

According to Maj. Byron Murray, chief of wing force protection, the past could repeat itself if we're not careful.

"We hardened and enhanced the security of PSAB as a result of the events at Khobar, but we must be ever vigilant to 'new methods' that will be used against us in the future," he said. "We all need to remember the bombing at Khobar Towers was the result of very sick and dangerous men who use terror as a weapon. Everyone that serves in this area of the world needs to be aware that the senseless deaths of service members could happen again."

Smith said when the memorial room is complete, it will display shadow boxes for each victim, as well as photographs documenting the events of that night and beyond.

"Do not bypass the photography that hangs on the wall," he said. "It tells the story of how we got to where we are today." Smith added that there is also an empty table and a uniform on display, to further symbolize the loss of our fellow airmen.

"Take pride, take honor, reflect, remember," he urged. "They did a job, they gave their lives; we owe them the utmost respect." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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