Lt. Col. Flando Jackson, Washington Air National Guard
Air National Guardsman Lt. Col. Flando Jackson died of a non combat related injury at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on August 4, 2016. Lt. Col. Jackson was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 194th Wing, Camp Murray, Washington National Guard. At the time of the press release, the Department of Defense announced the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.
Air Force Major John Gerrie, 42, of Nickerson, Kansas, died from a non-combat related incident on January 16, 2016 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Major Gerrie was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 453rd Electronic Warfare Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. The official cause of death is unknown.
Navy Commander Christopher Kalafut, 49, of Oceanside, California died of a non-combat related incident on October 24, 2014 at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. He was found dead in his room. Cmdr. Kalafut was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the Naval Amphibious Liaison Element, Combined Forces Air Component Center at U.S. Central Command. Cmdr. Kalafut graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy in 1987 and entered active duty as an E-2C Hawkeye pilot. He spent some time on the USS Abraham Lincoln and spent six years in the service before leaving and entering the Navy Reserve. He had a civilian job as a pilot for Delta in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of the DoD press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.
He flew with the reserves less often in recent years. The July deployment, a non-flying position, was seen as a final step before retirement. –Steve Kalafut (father)
Air National Guard Master Sgt. David Poirier, 52, died from a non-combat related incident on February 28, 2014. There was no location noted in the DoD press release but MSgt. Poirier was assigned to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar at the time of his passing. According to Sea Coast Online, MSgt. Poirier was deployed to Southwest Asia when his death occurred but the Air National Guard was not able to release the country due to host nation sensitivities. MSgt. Poirier was a post master from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. MSgt. Poirier was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the 157th Operations Support Squadron at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. On March 5, 2014, news reports indicated that MSgt. Poirier died of a heart attack while serving overseas.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 