An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | July 24, 2020

Army National Guardsmen Airlift Memorial from Nome to Kiwalik: Soldiers Honor

By Sgt. Seth LaCount Alaska National Guard Public Affairs

KIWALIK, Alaska -- Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment and several other units, transported the headstone and cross of retired Command Sgt. Maj. and Vietnam War veteran Thomas Sherman from Nome to Kiwalik via a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, July 14.

The Sherman family has a rich history of service in the National Guard and the U.S. military, with several immediate and extended family members who are veterans.

Thomas Sherman was an aviation mechanic and crew chief in the U.S. Army after being drafted during the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s. He performed maintenance on the American Bell UH-1 Huey helicopter that predates the UH-60 Black Hawk. He re-enlisted with the Guard 20 years after he left the active duty Army and served in the Alaska Army National Guard in Nome until he retired.

Staff Sgt. Cory Reed, an infantryman with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment and Military Funeral Honors lead for the AKNG, requested aviation support on behalf of the family in late June. The Alaska National Guard authorized the flight and transportation of Sherman’s veteran headstone during a scheduled training mission.

“Headstones are provided by the federal government at no cost to honorably discharged veterans,” said Verdie Bowen, director of the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs. “There was no commercial service to get one to Kiwalik through the postal service, so it was sent to Nome and then transported after request for assistance and coordination through the National Guard.”

The Sherman family owns the burial allotment in Kiwalik, where their deceased family members rest. They hope to return there in the future, to spread Sherman’s ashes over the land where his memorial now stands.

“It was an honor to be part of this mission,” said 1st Lt. Jared Scheler, a pilot who flew the mission and commander of the Nome Army Aviation Facility. “It feels great to give back to a family who has given so much, with a long and pronounced history in the military.”

Nome Guardsmen Spc. Donald Lincoln and Staff Sgt. Chris Thomas volunteered for the memorial detail and were responsible for loading, securing and unloading the headstone and cross from the helicopter.

In a memorial service for Sherman in Kiwalik, Reed and Thomas unfurled and presented the flag to Sherman’s nephew, retired 1st Sgt. Stacey Greene, while Lincoln played the bugle call “Taps.”

“I grew up less than 40 miles from Kiwalik in Deering and I’ve spent a lot of time with the Sherman family,” Lincoln said. “I am very thankful and appreciative of them and it’s great to be able to lend a hand in their time of need.”

Greene served in the Alaska Army National Guard for 21 years before retiring as a first sergeant assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 297th Infantry Support Battalion in Nome. He deployed to Kuwait in 2006 and served under Sherman at the beginning of his enlisted career.
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,221
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With President Wesley Simina of the Federated States of Micronesia
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

AUKUS Trilateral Statement
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - The Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia; the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom; and Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense,...

U.S., India launch Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024
Courtesy Photo
March 21, 2024 - Indian and U.S. combined armed forces began Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024 with the arrival of amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), March 18 and an opening ceremony March 19.This is the third time U.S. and...

USACE: Ensuring Safety Every Step of the Way
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) is the premier Department of Defense (DoD) military construction (MILCON) agent in the Pacific, providing facilities-related design and construction work in Japan for all military services and agencies. With over 60 years of experience in designing and constructing facilities in Japan, JED possesses the experience in Japanese standards and specifications, regulations, construction practices, maintenance requirements, and culture needed to ensure facilities are built with the utmost safety and professionalism. Photo by Charles Maib.
March 21, 2024 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) is the premier Department of Defense (DoD) military construction (MILCON) agent in the Pacific, providing facilities-related design and construction work...

THAAD Battery in Guam Successfully Completes Table VIII Evaluation
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launcher used by E-3 Air Defense Artillery THAAD Battery as part of their Table VIII certification in Dededo, Guam, March 13, 2024. The THAAD battery, equipped with a state-of-the-art missile defense system, is tasked with defending Guam against ballistic missile threats. (U.S. Army Photo by Maj. Trevor Wild)
March 21, 2024 - In a testament to readiness and operational excellence, Task Force Talon's E-3 ADA THAAD Battery conducted a Table VIII evaluation for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system stationed in Guam, March 11-15,...