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Pittsburgh reservists step in to replace Lakenheath deployers

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Scott Pryor
  • 911th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, Penn --  Acting on a short-notice request for volunteers, 13 members of the 911th Security Forces Squadron here answered the call to fill a deployment void created by the deadly March 2 shooting attack at Frankfurt International Airport, Germany.

The appeal went out shortly after a lone gunman boarded a bus at Frankfurt International Airport and shot and killed two Airmen and injured two others. The passengers were a 15-person team from the 48th Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, waiting aboard the bus for transportation to Ramstein Air Base, Germany and eventual deployment to Afghanistan.

Less than 2 and half hours after the Air Force requested volunteers, the 911th SFS sent notification through Air Force Reserve Command channels that it was ready to step up with volunteers to replace the Lakenheath team.

It wasn't until after the security forces members volunteered that they learned the sobering news about what their volunteerism meant to the Air Force.

"Here at the unit, we stress the importance of being prepared to respond to any of these out-of-cycle requests," said Maj. John Bojanac, 911th SFS commander. "After finding out the significance behind this request, it made volunteering that much more meaningful and increased our level of motivation."

"It is extremely difficult to put into words (our feelings) when we lose a fellow Airman," Major Bojanac said. "This tragedy reinforces the fact that we are still at war and that the threats from extremists around the world are real. We will all mourn the loss of our comrades, remember their sacrifice and proudly serve in their memory."

"I am proud of the security forces professionals at Pittsburgh who stepped up to the plate and volunteered," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., AFRC commander. "They volunteered to deploy and do what they have been trained to do."