Patrick Air Force Base Hosts Memorial Ceremony in Honor of the Khobar Tower Bombing 26 Years Ago
By 920th Rescue Wing // June 23, 2022
NINETEEN SERVICE MEMBERS WERE KILLED AND 498 WERE INJURED
BREVARD COUNTY • SATELLITE BEACH, FLORIDA – 920th Rescue Wing Airmen, Team Patrick, family, and friends gathered here June 21 to honor 19 Airmen killed in a terrorist attack 26 years ago known Khobar Towers bombing.
The Khobar Towers bombing of 1996 was a terrorist attack on a U.S. Air Force housing complex in the town of Khobar, near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996.
The individuals identified as members of Hilzballah Al-Hijaz drove a tanker truck packed with 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) of explosives near the complex and then jumped into waiting vehicles, escaping just before detonation.
The explosion, which was so loud that it was heard some 20 miles away, left a crater 85 feet wide and 35 feet deep.
In all 19 U.S. Airmen and one Saudi national were killed and 372 of many nationalities were wounded. Several of the wounded were members of the 920th RQW.
Among the 19 lives lost, five of them served at Patrick Space Force base:
■ Master Sgt. Michael G. Heiser
■ Staff Sgt. Kevin J. Johnson
■ AIC Justin R. Wood
■ Capt. Christopher J. Adams
■ Capt. Leland T. Haun
A permanent memorial is located on Patrick Space Force Base just outside of the 920th RQW headquarters.
During the ceremony, a wreath was placed at the granite memorial dedicated to the 19 Airmen who selflessly lost their lives in service.
The ceremony concluded with a 39th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II flyover and the rendering of a traditional salute by the tipping of their wings in honor of the nineteen.
Related Story:Patrick Space Force Base Fusion Cell Shapes 920th Rescue Wing’s Deliberate Planning Processes
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