Publish Date 
Written by Remains of the nine airmen who perished September 13, 1997 in a mid-air collision between an Air Force C-141 and German Tupolev 154 off the coast of Africa were laid to rest April 2, 1998 in a group burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
In a full-honors funeral, a stream of airmen followed the horse-drawn carriage to pay their respects to Captain Peter Vallejo, Captain Gregory Cindrich, Captain Jason Ramsey, Staff Sergeants Robert Evans, Scott Roberts and Stacy Bryant, and Senior Airmen Gary Bucknam, Justin Drager and Frankie Walker.
Eight pallbearers from the Air Force Honor Guard carried the casket. A full-honors service includes of a band, bugler, caisson, firing party, honor guard flight, pallbearers, color team and flag bearer. Attending survivors received American flags during the ceremony.
The crash claimed 33 lives. Twenty-four were aboard the German aircraft. Eight of the nine C-141 crewmen were from the 13th Airlift Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. Walker was from the 305th Aircraft Generation Squadron at McGuire.
The C-141 had delivered U.S. soldiers and mine-clearing equipment to Windhoek Field, Namibia, before departing for Ascension Island. An Air Force accident investigation board concluded that the German aircraft was flying at the wrong cruise altitude, causing the crash.
BRYANT, STACY
Sergeant, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
CINDRICH, GREGORY
Captain, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
EVANS, ROBERT
Sereant, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
ROBERTS, SCOTT
Sergeant, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
BUCKNAM, GARY
Sergeant, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
DRAGER, JUSTIN
A1C, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
RAMSEY, JASON
Captain, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
VALLEJO, PETER
Captain, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
WALKER, FRANKIE
SAM, United States Air Force
DATE OF DEATH: 09/13/1997
BURIED AT: SECTION 34 SITE 1758
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Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard