Officials at Nellis
AFB, Nev., on July 13 dedicated a refurbished Airmen’s Center to A1C Jesse Samek, who was killed in October 2004 in Afghanistan when his HH-60 helicopter crashed during a rescue mission. Samek, who was a flight engineer with the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis, was the first base airman to die in the war on terror. The Samek Airmen’s Center is a recreation facility near the dormitories housing junior enlisted airmen. Samek’s mother, Julia Samek, attended the ceremony and said: “He was a pretty quiet kid, but he would have been honored to have the building named after him. He would have had pride that he could make a difference; almost as much pride as I have, to have been his mother.” (Nellis report by A1C Michael Charles)
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
