WESTFIELD –The 104th Fighter Wing has scheduled the 27th rededication of its F-100 memorial for Sat., May 3, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.
The F-100 memorial honors the memory of 12 unit members who have given their lives in performance of their duties to the state and country.
Col. James Keefe, Wing Commander, will preside over the ceremony, which will include a 21 gun salute and the laying of a memorial wreath as the names of the fallen airmen are read. Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik is projected to attend, as well as some family members of our fallen heroes.
The F-100 monument was originally dedicated on May 17, 1987, by the Chief Master Sergeants Council, and has stood as a constant reminder of the impact of these guardsmen in the history of the unit. Engraved upon the memorial are the names of unit members who passed away in aviation related events:
• 1st Lt. Edward W. Meacham, Monomoy Point, Mass., Aug. 17, 1948
• Maj. Robert Anderstrom, Granby, Conn., May 7, 1954
• 1st Lt. Richard Brown, Granville, Mass., Oct. 19, 1954
• Tech. Sgt. Austin A. Cooper, Granville, Mass., Oct. 19, 1954
• Capt. Frank A. Gibe, Westfield, Mass., July 28, 1956
• Maj. Richard W. Mahoney, New Orleans, La., April 22, 1961
• 1st Lt. Joseph F. Crehore, Chalons, France, March 21, 1962
• Capt. Hugh M. Lavalle, Upstate New York, Nov. 16, 1963
• Capt. John H. Paris, Westfield, Mass., July 17, 1964
• Maj. James Romanowicz, Granby, Mass., Feb. 1, 1965
• Capt. Leonard E. Bannish, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., May 30, 1968
• Maj. John S. Southrey, Wells, N.Y., Sept. 17, 1986
