European edition, Tuesday, June 26, 2007
A 22-year-old airman from the 48th Security Forces Squadron died Saturday after a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in Iraq.
Airman 1st Class Jason D. Nathan, of Macon, Ga., was performing gunner duties in support of an Iraq Police Transition Team mission at the time of the incident, according to an e-mail sent Monday to RAF Lakenheath airmen.
“A1C Nathan was a superb young airman, dedicated warrior, and valued patriot who died in an effort to make Iraq safer. His loss is a significant one for his family, our Liberty Wing family, and the United States Air Force,” Brig. Gen. John Hesterman, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing, said in the basewide e-mail.
In May, the 48th Fighter Wing had more than 800 airmen deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Air and Space Expeditionary Force 7 and 8 rotations.
Nathan, who was assigned to the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Detachment 6, 732nd Air Expeditionary Group out of Camp Speicher in Tikrit, is the first 48th Fighter Wing airman to be killed on the deployments.
A memorial ceremony for Nathan is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Friday in Lakenheath’s Hangar 6.
