SrA. Nicholas J. Alden and A1C Zachary R. Cuddeback are the two airmen who died from a gunman’s bullets during an attack Wednesday in Frankfurt, Germany, the Defense Department announced. Alden, 25, of Williamston, S.C., was assigned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England. Cuddeback, 21, of Stanardsville, Va., was a member of the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany. Alden and Cuddeback were among a group of airmen on an Air Force bus at the Frankfurt International Airport. The bus was taking security forces airmen arriving from Lakenheath to Ramstein for a deployment to Afghanistan. German authorities have the shooter in custody. The attacker also wounded two airmen. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday that SSgt. Kristoffer Schneider of Lakenheath is one of the wounded. Gen. Mark Welsh, US Air Forces n Europe commander, said in a statement Thursday the command’s leadership is “incredibly proud” of how USAFE airmen and their families are responding to the tragedy. “And we remain proud of who we are and what we represent. We’re a strong family—we’ll get through this together,” he said. (See Thursday’s Daily Report coverage)
While the Pentagon is halfway through its review of the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program in the wake of “critical” cost and schedule overruns, the service has declared a similar issue for the helicopters meant to provide security and transport across those ICBM fields. The Air Force recently…