Face of Defense: Gym Honors Airman’s Fallen Brother

By Air Force Lt. Col. Kristi Beckman

U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 17, 2012 – What does the word "gym" mean to you? Does it mean the blood, sweat and tears of weight training and cardio to get in tip-top shape? Does it symbolize a place where your buddies meet to blow off steam?

To Air Force 1st Lt. Noel Carroll, it is a place where she feels at home. It is a place where she goes to feel her brother's presence and know that a gym to him meant sculpting the perfect machine and hanging out with his "bros." You see, her gym is named after her brother, Tim Davis, who died in Afghanistan in 2009.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Tim Davis was a combat controller, one of the most highly trained special operations forces in the U.S. military. He was on his second deployment when he lost his life to a roadside bomb leaving behind a wife and a year-old son.

"When we lost Tim, I was an [emergency room] nurse working in Seattle," Carroll said. "I knew immediately I wanted to go overseas and take care of wounded soldiers. When I heard about flight nursing and flying the wounded soldiers home, I knew that was what I wanted to do, so I signed up for the Air Force."

Today, Carroll is an aeromedical evacuation flight nurse stationed at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Her office is a flying hospital aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules or KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. On a daily basis, she flies throughout Afghanistan picking up wounded troops and doing her best to ensure they make it back safe and sound to Craig Hospital at Bagram Airfield for medical care.

And just like Carroll, a combat controller is also a protector. Their motto, "First There," reaffirms the combat controller's commitment to undertaking the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines by leading the way for other forces to follow.

One of Davis' closest friends and teammates, Air Force Master Sgt. Ken Huhman, said Tim lived by that motto.

"He was an incredible teammate who always put others before himself without any complaints," Huhman said. "There are many things that make up a CCT, but one of the most important things is the team mentality, one's willingness to put others before themselves."

A combat controller is not for the faint of heart, but Davis' former commander Air Force Col. Brett Nelson said if you want to become one,one, Tim was the model: loyal, physically strong, mentally tough, disciplined and never satisfied with good-enough.

"They have a strong sense of right and wrong," Carroll said. "They are naturally competitive, strong-willed and willing to take risks. They are silent heroes, not ones to boast or brag. They are willing to lay down their lives for their loved ones ... And that's just what Tim was and just what Tim did. I am truly thankful for his service and for laying down his life for his family and country. I am so proud of all his accomplishments; he definitely left his mark in this world and in people's hearts."

It was no surprise to anyone in Davis' family that he became a combat controller.

"Tim's nature was one of protecting, even as a young boy," said Tim's dad, Mike Davis. "All his life he befriended the underdog, helped them fit in and achieve."

Nelson said there was a lot that was special about Tim, but his leadership founded through personal discipline is what he remembers the most, along with Tim's very competitive nature.

"This competitive nature was really just a manifestation of his personal discipline -- if someone performed a task better than he, he recognized a personal responsibility to be better and set out to do just that," Nelson said. "His leadership excellence resulted from this great personal discipline coupled with a quiet, confident nature that was encouraging, not intimidating."

Keeping physically fit is critical, Huhman said.

"Due to the rigorous physical demands, fitness is essential to not only success, but your survival and the safety and survival of your team."

This, and discipline is what earned Davis his nickname, "The Rock," Carroll said. And it is very fitting, she said, that the gym at Bagram Airfield carries her brother’s nickname because he loved exercise.

"I remember one of his friends saying Tim was the only one he could get to run the stairs with him carrying five gallon buckets in each hand filled with sand," Davis' dad said. "If Tim had left us instructions, I think he would have said, 'If you guys have to put my name on something after I'm gone, don't put it on a lake or a rock or a field ... put it on a gym.'"

Army Brigadier General Dies in Afghanistan

Fort Hood Public Affairs Office

FORT HOOD, Texas, Feb. 5, 2012 – Army Brig. Gen. Terence J. Hildner died of apparent natural causes Feb. 3 in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials here announced today.

Hildner, 49, listed his home of record as Fairfax, Va. He was born in New Haven, Conn. He took command of 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Aug. 19, 2010.

“We are truly saddened by the loss of Brigadier General Hildner,” said Army Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general. “This is a tragic loss for the Army, III Corps and for our Central Texas community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his Family and friends. The command will remain focused on assisting the Family through this difficult time.”

A 1984 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Hildner began his career as an armor officer with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. He was reassigned in 1988 to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Federal Republic of Germany. He served as the regimental training officer and subsequently commanded a ground cavalry troop.

During his company command, Hildner's troop deployed with the regiment as part of the U.S. VII Corps' attack into Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, as well as conducting the last U.S. patrol along the East-West German border before its reunification.

Returning to Fort Hood from Germany, the general served in several assignments, to include 2nd Armored Division comptroller and aide-de-camp to the 4th Infantry Division’s commanding general.

Hildner transited to the Quartermaster Corps and attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 1997. He later served in a variety of staff positions, to include battalion executive officer of the 296th Forward Support Battalion, Supply and Services chief for I Corps Logistics at Fort Lewis, Wash., and logistician for Joint Task Force 6, a Department of Defense counterdrug task force.

In 2003, Hildner assumed command of the 13th Corps Support Command's Special Troops Battalion at Fort Hood. During nearly three years in command, the battalion conducted two operational deployments. The first came in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a combat sustainment support battalion, providing general logistical support to units located around Joint Base Balad, as well as the Abu Gharib prison complex.

The battalion's second deployment came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, as Logistical Task Force Lone Star, providing both military and humanitarian support operations.

From July 2007 to July 2009, Hildner commanded the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade at Fort Lee, Va., training more than 20,000 soldiers annually for deployment in support of contingency operations across the globe.

In 2009, he was the Combined Arms Support Command's director of training and doctrine.

Hildner departed Fort Hood in December 2011 for Afghanistan to support the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.

“The unfortunate and untimely death of Brigadier General Hildner was a shock to our unit and Families,” said Army Col. Knowles Atchison, 13th ESC rear commander. “Both forward-deployed elements and we at home station are deeply saddened by this loss. We will all pull together through this difficult period and care for one another.”

Hildner’s awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, U.S. Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Valorous Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, Southwest Asia Medal with 2 bronze stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist Badge.

Circumstances surrounding Hildner’s death are under investigation.

Alpine, Texas, Border Patrol Agents Bring Home 9/11 Artifact for Memorial Installation

Marfa, Texas – Two Alpine Station Border Patrol agents drove to New York City and back last week to pick up a twisted steel beam to be used as part of a memorial commemorating the attacks of 9/11.

Two Border Patrol agents from the Alpine, Texas, Station drove to New York City to bring this twisted metal beam to West Texas. The beam is from the wreckage of the twin towers felled on September 11, 2001. The artifact was escorted into the Alpine Station by the Marfa Sector Honor Guard. The beam will be included in a memorial to be unveiled at the station on September 11, 2011. The groundbreaking ceremony for the station was held on September 11, 2001.

The beam was part of one of the destroyed buildings and was being held by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

In late 2010 Assistant Patrol Agent in Charge (APAIC) Lewis Reynolds saw a news story about the availability of artifacts to community groups providing their application was approved by the port authority. He, along with others from the Alpine, Texas Station, received permission and then filled out the application. After their application was approved they received a scheduled pickup date.

APAIC Reynolds and Supervisory Border Patrol Agent David Marshall drove a stake bed truck to New York City to pick up the remnant. They arrived back in Alpine August 6 and were escorted through the community by a solemn procession of law enforcement vehicles. The round trip covered 4,334 miles.

“The display of this symbol at the Alpine Station will forever be significant,” said Marfa Sector Chief Patrol Agent John J. Smietana, Jr. “In spite of the terror of the moment, a great number of law enforcement officers, fire fighters and others continued to do their jobs with the ‘last full measure of devotion.’ This simple metal beam will be displayed as a reminder of their courage and sacrifice.”

The beam will be installed as part of a memorial display on the front lawn of the Alpine Border Patrol Station on Highway 90 west of Alpine. The memorial will be accessible by the public during the daytime once it has been installed.

Plans are underway for a dedication ceremony to be held on September 11, 2011, at the station.

Ironically, the groundbreaking ceremony for the current station was held on the morning of September 11, 2001.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Fairfax County, Va., Donates $100K to Pentagon Memorial Fund

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 16, 2007 - Representatives of Fairfax County, Va., donated $100,000 today to help build the Pentagon Memorial that will honor the 184 people, including 20 county residents, killed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the building. County Supervisor Penelope A. Gross presented the check that brings funds raised so far to more than $15 million, Pentagon Memorial Fund spokesman Jerry Mullins reported.

The memorial fund committee's goal is to raise $22 million to build and maintain the memorial.

"This makes everyone excited," Mullins said of Fairfax County's gift. "We have a big team of folks either working or donating money to get this memorial built."

Among other contributors are the Commonwealth of Virginia, which donated $100,000, and the State of Maryland, which contributed $250,000, Mullins said. In addition, the private sector continues to support the effort, both through corporate and individual donations.

Gross, who took the fundraising request to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said she felt it appropriate that the county honor those killed, particularly its own residents who were in the building or aboard hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into it.

"This is an expression of Fairfax County caring about its residents and the effect the Sept. 11 attacks continue to have on our county and our country," she said.

Noting that a $100,000 donation is "no small feat" for the county, she said its taxpayers can feel proud of their role in helping build a memorial that will keep the Sept. 11 victims "forever in our minds and hearts."

Plans call for the Pentagon Memorial to be dedicated in September 2008, Mullins said.

The memorial is being built on nearly two acres of land along the path the passenger jet took just before it hit the building.

It will include 184 benches, each with a lighted reflecting pool beneath it and a nameplate of a victim of the Pentagon attack. Benches for the 125 people who died inside the Pentagon will be oriented toward the building, and benches for the 59 passengers and crew aboard the hijacked jet will face away from the building, toward the sky, explained Jim Laychak, president of the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

Laychak, whose brother David was an Army civilian employee killed in the attack, expressed hope that the memorial will bring comfort and a sense of reflection for those left behind. "We wanted a place for people to think, not a place to tell them what to think," he said.

Once completed, the memorial will provide a lasting tribute to the victims of Sept. 11, both individually and collectively, and "tell a story of what happened," Laychak said. "It will be a unique place," he said. "(Just as) 9/11 was like no other day, we wanted a place (to remember it) like no other."