Two local British communities on Jan. 7 unveiled a plaque commemorating the crew of Jolly 22, a Pave Hawk that crashed on Jan. 7, 2014, in a marsh near RAF Lakenheath, England. The 56th Rescue Squadron HH-60, part of a two-ship flying during a low-level training mission near Cley-Next-the-Sea struck birds and crashed. Pilots Capt. Sean Ruane and Capt. Christopher Stover and special mission aviators TSgt. Dale Mathews and SSgt. Afton Ponce died in the crash. The two communities of Cley-Next-the-Sea and Salthouse held a ceremony unveiling the plaque on the three-year anniversary of the crash. “We are gathered here today to honor and remember four wonderful colleagues and friends whose lives were lost three years ago,” said Nigel Pickover, organizer of the dedication, according to a 48th Fighter Wing release. “Three years gone, four lives lost, but the bright light of their memory shines through.”
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
