On the evening of June 25, 1996, a truck bomb exploded in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. This terrorist attack killed 19 men of the U.S. Air Force and wounded over 500 other Americans, Saudis, and Bangladeshis. The bomb tore away an entire wall of a high-rise apartment building, part of the Khobar Towers complex housing U.S. Air Force men and women assigned to nearby Dhahran Air Base.
Their mission in Operation Southern Watch was to patrol the skies of southern Iraq and prevent Iraqi planes from threatening the peace of the Middle East. During the decade after the Gulf War, these daily air patrols exposed the planes of the U.S. and its allies to Iraqi air defenses without losing an aircraft. But at Khobar Towers, terrorism demonstrated that dormitory life could be more dangerous than flying. The explosion there was a painful reminder of the risks Americans in uniform take every day around the world.
Memorial To The Victims
On June 29, 2001 a remembrance ceremony for the victims and families of the Khobar Towers bombing was held by No Greater Love at Arlington National Cemetery. This article appeared in
Pentagram, News and Information for Fort Myer Military Community.
Families, friends honor Khobar Towers victims
by Dennis Ryan
Pentagram staff writer
When terrorists set off a tanker truck loaded with explosives in front of Khobar Towers on June 25, 1996, they not only killed 19 American servicemen but they changed the lives of the survivors and their loved ones forever.
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Photo by Dennis Ryan. James and Sandra Wetmore fight back tears at the No Greater
Love ceremony in remembrance of the
victims of the Khobar Towers bombing. |
Paul Blais was at Arlington National Cemetery last Monday to be a part of a ceremony of remembrance held by No Greater Love organization in section 59. Blais suffered brain damage that left him walking with a limp and with difficulty speaking. But it did not prevent him from writing a book "Tragedy to Triumph" about his ordeal.
"I received a traumatic brain injury," Blais said. "I remember little bits and pieces but not the total picture. I'm doing good. I'm working on a second book. Hopefully the books will prevent this from happening again."
The fact that 14 indictments were handed down last week for murder and conspiracy brought out a large crowd of photographers and reporters. Over 50 relatives and loved ones gathered near No Greater Love Memorial Tree and Stone honoring victims of terrorism.
The plaintive airs of "Morning has Broken" sung by Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Paul Eschliman, accompanied by Master Sgt. Ron Henley on the keyboard opened the event.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles F. Wald, the commander of the Ninth Air Force and U.S. Central Command, spoke about the bombing and the airmen's sacrifice.
"I along with all Americans am deeply saddened," Wald said. "They died defending the very principles of freedom and democracy."
The slain service members were assigned to Dhahran Air Base to assist in patrolling the air over southern Iraq and deter Iraqi aggression in Operation Southern Watch.
"We made a promise in 1997 that we will not forget," FBI director Louis Freeh said. "The case last week offers only a beginning. I'm not a politician. I'm not a diplomat. I'm a policeman and that's the way I conducted this case."
Carmella LaSpada of NGL addressed the audience before the wreath of remembrance was laid at Brian McVeigh's and Michael Heiser's gravestones.
"America is the grand experiment in freedom," LaSpada said. "We must fight this evil, terrorism."
The plaintive tones of a triangle echoed as each name was read and glasses were removed and eyes were rubbed, first, just one or two, but as the litany of names grew so did the reaction of the people. Sons put arms around fathers, parents huddled closer together, and faces grew longer and sadder fighting for control until the whole audience was covered in the sadness of lives lost young.
Christopher Adams
Daniel Cafourek
Millard Campbell
Earl Cartrette, Jr
Patrick Fennig
Leland Haun
Michael Heiser
Kevin Johnson
Ronald King
Kendall Kitson, Jr.
Christopher Lester
Brent Marthaler
Brian McVeigh
Peter Morgera
Thanh Nguyen
Joseph Rimkus
Jeremy Taylor
Justin Wood
Joshua Woody
The ceremony was over but not the healing.
Milagritos Perez Dalis, 23, lost her father Leland Haun in the bombing and her grief was not mitigated by the ceremony.
"I wanted more family involvement," Dalis said. "We've heard I'm sorry and we've heard songs before. All I wanted to do is say how I feel. I'm not interested in cameras and the whole shebang. I turned around after the ceremony and asked if anyone would like to hear what the families had to say and the reporter said 'no thank you, we're good.'
"Hey, my dad liked steak. He would have done anything for anyone. He could draw anything, but he loved to fly too much."
We Remember Them... 19 Who Died
| Name |
Hometown |
Base |
| Staff Sgt. Daniel B. Cafourek |
Watertown, South Dakota |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Sgt. Millard D. Campbell |
Angelton, Texas |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Senior Airman Earl F. Carrette Jr. |
Sellersburg, Indiana |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Tech Sgt. Patrick P. Fennig |
Greendale, Wisconsin |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Master Sgt. Kendall K.J. Kitson |
Yukon, Oklahoma |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Airmen 1st Class Brian W. McVeigh |
Debary, Florida |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Airman 1st Class Brent E. Marthaler |
Cambridge, Minnesota |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Airman 1st Class Peter J. Morgera |
Stratham, New Hampshire |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Tech. Sgt. Thanh V. Nguyen |
Panama City, Florida |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Airmen 1st Class Joseph E. Rimkus |
Edwardsville, Illinois |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Senior Airman Jeremy A. Taylor |
Rosehill, Kansas |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Airmen 1st Class Joshua E. Woody |
Corning, California |
Eglin AFB, Florida |
| Capt. Christopher J. Adams |
Massapequa Park, New York |
Patrick AFB, Florida |
| Capt. Leland T. Haun |
Clovis, California |
Patrick AFB, Florida |
| Master Sgt. Michael G. Heiser |
Palm Coast, Florida |
Patrick AFB, Florida |
| Staff Sgt. Kevin J. Johnson |
Shreveport, Louisiana |
Patrick AFB, Florida |
| Airman 1st Class Justin R. Wood |
Modesto, California |
Patrick AFB, Florida |
| Staff Sgt. Ronald L. King |
Battlecreek, Michigan |
Offutt AFB, Nebraska |
| Airmen 1st Class Christopher Lester |
Pineville, West Virginia |
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio |
Nothing short of a hero...
June 28, 1996
In the eyes of many U.S. officials, Sgt. Alfredo Guerrero is nothing short of a hero. Had it not been for his alertness, they say, many more would have died in Tuesday's bombing of the Khobar housing complex. [Read More]
Sad Legacy Of Khobar Towers
"Every night when I put my children to bed, I make sure their curtains are closed. It's not that I'm concerned the morning light will wake them up. I make sure the curtains are pulled because I think -- if a bomb explodes in the night and the glass shatters - that layer of cloth might prevent them from being laden in glass shrapnel. This may sound morbid but that's honestly what I think about nearly every night. This comes from the 'it can happen to me' realization I had while being deployed at Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on June 26, 1996, when a bomb exploded killing 19 Air Force members and injuring more than 500."
—Staff Sgt. Martie Capoeman
39th Wing Public Affairs