Wing of engineer building dedicated to Wilcox

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Exceptional Airman, friend, loved one ... all words to describe a young 100th Civil Engineer Squadron captain whose life was cut short after a tragic accident in April 2010.

Capt. Jenna Wilcox's name and memory will be forever memorialized in the readiness and emergency management corridor of the 100th CES Headquarters Building - in the very halls and among the same team she led prior to the 27-year-old being being killed when a tire she was carrying suddenly exploded in April, 2010.

The 100th CES held a memorial tribute to Wilcox at their headquarters July 14.

"There's no way to replace the loss of Captain Wilcox. What we can do is ensure that anyone who walks down that hall in the future will see her name and have a chance to read her story," said Capt. Sean Warner, 100th CES. "Captain Wilcox was an extraordinary person that touched many people across the Air Force, and her presence is still felt by those who knew her.

"The dedication not only honors her service, but her life and character," Warner said. "We should always value those who we share our lives with, but it is equally important to remember and honor those individuals that are no longer with us today."

Wilcox was on vacation in Scotland after returning from a nine-month tour to Afghanistan when she and her husband had tire trouble. After installing the spare tire, she carried the damaged one on her lap in the passenger seat while her husband drove to a service station. The tire exploded, and Wilcox succumbed to her injuries and died at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh days later on April 2, 2010.

The dedication had been a desire of Wilcox's family and the 100th CES since her passing, said Warner. Among those attending the Wilcox dedication were: Peter Sielski, father; Margaret Rose, aunt; Justin Vitello, cousin; and civilian and military members from both Royal Air Forces Mildenhall and Lakenheath.

Wilcox was from Buffalo, N.Y., and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol growing up. After high school she attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, and graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. She commissioned as a second lieutenant June 2, 2004 and was assigned to Misawa Air Base, Japan. In Japan she met her husband, Scott Wilcox. In 2008, she was assigned to RAF Mildenhall, and Scott to RAF Lakenheath.