Personnel at Edwards AFB, Calif., found Col. Bryan J. Gallagher unconscious in a base fitness center parking lot early Tuesday morning, according to a base release. Efforts to revive the colonel, who had commanded the 95th Air Base Wing since last spring, were unsuccessful. He was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, where medical personnel declared him dead at 7:45 a.m. Gallagher was a Civil Engineer officer and had served as the 95th ABW vice commander before assuming command. There was no word yet as to the cause of death.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
