SFS Memorial: more than just pictures, names

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  • By Senior Airman Natasha Stannard
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SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Editor's note:

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Elizabeth N. Jacobson was the first name added to the list.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tamara Mayer, 52nd Security Forces Squadron commander, thought she would ask her Defenders some questions about this individual and the eight others on the list of service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in contingency operations since 9/11. She was surprised to find that some of her Defenders didn't know much about them.

Security forces can be a stressful job and sometimes people need to take a step back to remember the sacrifices the fallen and injured have taken both on regular shift and in contingency operations, she said.

Mayer wanted to better inform her squadron; she asked some of her Airmen to help her find a way to better educate the 52nd about the nine Defenders who lost their lives while serving to protect their country and its resources:






Elizabeth Nicole Jacobson (March 26, 1984 - September 28, 2005) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Airman who was killed in action in Iraq in 2005. She was the first female Airman killed in the line of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Security Forces member killed in conflict since Vietnam. Jacobson was providing convoy security Sept. 28 near Camp Bucca, Iraq, when the vehicle she was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device.  Jason L. Norton (April 1, 1973 - Jan. 22, 2006) was a United States Air Force Security Forces sergeant who was killed in action in Iraq. He was the second member killed in the line of duty that day in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Brian S. McElroy (Dec. 6, 1977 - Jan. 22, 2006) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Sergeant who was killed in action in Iraq. McElroy died in the line of duty while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while conducting convoy escort duties in the vicinity of Taji, Iraq; 18 miles from Baghdad.  
 Elizabeth N. Jacobson                   Jason L. Norton                       Brian S. McElroy                
Leebernard E. Chavis, Feb. 23, 1985 - Oct. 14, 2006) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Airman who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Chavis was providing convoy security in the turret as a 240 gunner Oct. 14, in the vicinity of Baghdad, Iraq, when he was mortally wounded by a sniper's bullet.  John T. Self (Nov. 2, 1977 - May 14, 2007) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Sergeant who was killed in action in Iraq. Self was providing convoy security May 2007 near Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device. Self volunteered for this deployment and was forward deployed from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.  Jason D. Nathan (Dec. 12, 1984 - June 23, 2007) was a United States Air Force Security Forces airman who was killed in action in Iraq in 2007. Nathan was providing convoy security on his way back from training the Iraqi Police Sept. 28 near Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron at RAF Lakenheath Air Base, England. Nathan had been in the Air Force for two years and this was his first tour in Iraq.
  Leebernard E. Chavis                    John T. Self                               Jason Nathan  

  Travis L. Griffin (Jan. 21, 1980 - April 3, 2008) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Sergeant who was killed in action in Iraq. He was killed in the line of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, training the Iraq Police Officers on a voluntary 365 deployment.  Joseph D. Helton Jr. (Sept. 30, 1984 - Sept. 8, 2009) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Officer who was killed in Iraq in 2009. He was the first Security Forces Officer killed in support of the war efforts. Helton passed away near Baghdad, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Helton went through the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated class of 2007.   Nicholas J. Alden (Sept. 24, 1985 - March 2, 2011) was a United States Air Force Security Forces Airman who was killed en-route to his deployment. On March 2, 2011, Alden was shot by an Islamic extremist on his squad's bus at the Frankfurt International Airport. Alden saved many of his brothers and sisters in arms on the bus that day.
           Travis L. Griffin                        Joseph D. Helton                  Nicholas J. Alden

Mayer said the initial idea was to create a wall of honor and it was fairly standard. It would feature each individual's framed photo with background information about them. It was also slated to be displayed in a small room in the squadron, but that plan changed quickly when U.S. Senior Airman Lindsey Mahfouz, who is from Lincoln, Calif., volunteered to take the project on.

The 52nd currently has the nine members' photos displayed throughout the squadron, so Mahfouz said she felt there was a definite need to create something bigger--something that would grab everyone's attention as they walked by.

"She ran with the idea," said Mayer of the energetic young Airman. "What it became was all her- she did an outstanding job with it."

Mahfouz gave the project a facelift. Rather than displaying just the photos and biographies in a room, Mahfouz transformed the idea of a wall of honor into a memorial hall of honor.


The completed memorial hall.

The memorial is displayed now and includes not only the nine individuals' photos and biographies, but a Soldier's cross and security forces emblem. It also sits in a high-traffic hallway where it can seen by visiting base members as well.

If asked, any squadron member would say Mahfouz did this all on her own, but in her eyes this memorial wouldn't be here without the help of others.

"Everyone wanted to be involved with this and it's really awesome...we've all had a little piece in making it," said Mahfouz.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Ackerman, a Long Island, N.Y., native who assisted her with the project said, "Mahfouz won't take all the credit for it, but this was definitely all her. She took the task and made it her own. She did 95 percent of the work on this project, but she still kept everyone involved by asking for their input on her ideas."

Mahfouz said she and Ackerman began the memorial project by looking up information about each individual, finding photos and brainstorming new ideas. Some information proved more difficult to find and that's when she turned to the entire squadron for help.

"Researching easily took us more than a month and it was probably the hardest part because we had to find information about each fallen member," said Mahfouz. "For some individuals, we could barely find their date of birth."

Mahfouz started asking squadron members if anyone had any information or knew anyone with any information about the fallen. In one case, another 52nd member connected her with a Defender at another base who had a photo of one of the fallen's headstones. This photo provided Mahfouz with the date of birth she was looking for.

She also found out that multiple 52nd members had deployed with some of the fallen individuals.

"There are a lot of people here who were actually deployed with these guys," she said. "And they're very helpful; they brought in pictures, told Ackerman and I stories about the individuals and helped us get information about them."

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Lloyd Evans, from Austin, Texas, served with 1st Lt. Joseph Dennis Helton Jr., a native of Monroe, Ga., during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Helton was killed in Iraq by an improvised explosive device attack Sept. 8, 2009.

Evans said he was touched when he found out about this memorial.

"Words can't even describe what this means to me," Evans said. "Lieutenant Helton was a great leader and this is a badge of honor for him; I know it would make him very proud."

Mahfouz said, Evans helped her and Ackerman get the majority of the information needed to complete Helton's biography. He even went as far as to get them in contact with Helton's parents, who later emailed the Spangdahlem Defenders thanking them for what they've done.

Mahfouz and Ackerman didn't stop at asking questions within their own squadron. They looked to others as well and got new visions that their squadron once again helped bring to life.

"We looked at other memorials and found that some have an actual Soldier's cross, so we got with our combat arms guys to see if they had a weapon we could use to make the cross," she said.

Combat arms donated the weapon so they could make the cross. The Soldier's cross in the memorial features an M-16 rifle with bayonet, combat boots, helmet, security forces beret and nine dog-tags with each name, and a plaque along and an additional dog-tag on a combat boot that say "In honor of the security forces fallen defenders who gave their lives serving our country."

Nine dog-tags hang from the Soldier's cross.

The security forces emblem was the final piece, which was a product of the squadron's brainstorming sessions. The emblem pays homage to what each security forces member does everyday to provide safety and security to military installations around the world.

With the project complete, Mahfouz can't help but feel proud not only of the memorial, but of what she does to support the Air Force.

"Making this together really made me appreciate my job a lot more - I like and enjoy it, but it makes me appreciate the things that we do everyday more," she said. "I look at the memorial and what we've done, what our brothers and sisters passed away for and just think to myself 'our job, what they did, their sacrifice is important.'"

Mahfouz hopes others stop to look at the memorial when they come by security forces and understand what security forces does every day to serve and protect their country.

"People may just see that we check their IDs at the gate, but as they'll see from these nine people's stories - there's so much more to our job," she said. "I hope that when people see this they remember more than just names; it's one thing to know these defender's names, but it's another to know their story."

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Degennaro said Mahfouz created a legacy of their fallen comrades and by doing so displayed what it means to implement the Air Force core values beyond the call of duty.

Thanks to Mahfouz, when Mayer asks 52nd SFS members, "Who is Airman 1st Class Elizabeth N. Jacobson?" They'll be able to answer with Jacobson's story.

Mayer said the initial idea was to create a wall of honor and it was fairly standard. It would feature each individual's framed photo with background information about them. It was also slated to be displayed in a small room in the squadron, but that plan changed quickly when U.S. Senior Airman Lindsey Mahfouz, who is from Lincoln, Calif., volunteered to take the project on.

The 52nd currently has the nine members' photos displayed throughout the squadron, so Mahfouz said she felt there was a definite need to create something bigger--something that would grab everyone's attention as they walked by.

"She ran with the idea," said Mayer of the energetic young Airman. "What it became was all her- she did an outstanding job with it."

Mahfouz gave the project a facelift. Rather than displaying just the photos and biographies in a room, Mahfouz transformed the idea of a wall of honor into a memorial hall of honor.