Kabul AF Deaths Worst Since Khobar Towers

The attack at Kabul Air Base by a rogue Afghan pilot that left nine Americans dead earlier this week was the worst single attack on Air Force personnel since the invasion of Afghanistan nearly 10 years ago.

Eight of those killed on April 27 were Airmen; the ninth U.S. casualty was a retired Army lieutenant colonel working as a contractor in Afghanistan. The gunman was killed in the incident.

"The entire Air Force family is saddened by this loss and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these brave Airmen,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in a joint statement. “The Air Force stands ready to support the families as they recover from this tragedy.”

“Nineteen Airmen were killed in that bombing,” Harper said. Scores more were injured in the towers, which served as a barracks.

The Kabul shootings reportedly occurred in an operations room after an Afghan air force pilot identified as Ahmad Gul got into an argument with some instructors. Gul was killed by return fire, according to reports.

The Taliban later issued a statement claiming credit for the killings, but Gul’s brother, a doctor, said Gul “was never connected to the Taliban or al Qaida.”

The International Herald-Tribune quoted Dr. Hassan Sahebi as saying Gul suffered from mental stress because of financial problems.

The Pentagon today identified the following Air Force casualties in the Kabul shootings:

Maj. Philip D. Ambard, 44, of Edmonds, Wash. He was assigned to the 460th Space Communications Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., and was also an associate professor at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Ambard was born in Venezuela and emigrated with his family to the U.S. when he was 12. He enlisted in the Air Force and later earned a college degree and a commission. He was a father of five, with three children who attended the Air Force Academy and another who attended the Military Academy at West Point, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Another child currently attends the University of Denver.

“He pushed all of us,” his daughter, Air Force Lt. Emily Short told the paper. “His word for us was ‘Don’t do it the hard way, the way I did.’”

Maj. Jeffrey O. Ausborn, 41, of Gadsden, Ala. He was assigned to the 99th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Ausborn was the subject of a 2008 profile in “Airman” magazine while serving with in Africa with the 43rd Airlift Win at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. After handing out food and water to locals, he was so stuck by the poverty that he called his family to tell his children just how well they lived, according to a report in Stars and Stripes.

Maj. David L. Brodeur, 34, of Auburn, Mass. He was assigned to the 11th Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. His father-in-law, retired Air Force Master Sgt. Frank Williams, told The Boston Herald that David leaves behind a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son who “couldn’t wait till Daddy got home to teach him to play ball.

“Dave was … a pilot over there to help,” Williams said.

Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, of Deltona, Fla. She was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Andrews, Md. Brown -- who had only recently been promoted to master sergeant -- was a NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan communication adviser in Kabul, according to the Air Force.

Lt. Col. Frank D. Bryant Jr., 37, of Knoxville, Tenn. He was assigned to the 56th Operations Group, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. A spokeswoman for the 56th Ops Group told the Knoxville News that Bryant “was a great pilot, and a great wingman.”

Maj. Raymond G. Estelle II, 40, of New Haven, Conn. He was assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. In Connecticut, Gov. Daniel Malloy ordered U.S. and state flags to fly at half staff until Estelle is buried, according to The Day newspaper in New Haven.

“Connecticut has lost another brave and honorable service member, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Maj. Estelle,” Malloy said in a statement.

Capt. Nathan J. Nylander, 35, of Hockley, Texas. He was assigned to the 25th Operational Weather Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. At D-M, 355th Fighter Wing commander Col. John Cherry said Nylander was married and the father of three.

In a statement he called for prayers for families of all the Americans killed in Kabul, and said the command “will continue to support the Airman’s family as they deal with this loss.”
Capt. Charles A. Ransom, 31, of Midlothian, Va. He was assigned to the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Ransom was a Virginia native and graduate of Virginia Military Institute in 2001. Ransom was the thirteenth VMI graduate to be killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001.

“The class of 2001 mourns the loss of our Brother Rat and Vice President, Charles Ransom,” VMI said in an April 29 statement. “Charles [fought] for his country as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and died serving in harm’s way on our behalf.”

The attack at Kabul Air Base by a rogue Afghan pilot that left nine Americans dead earlier this week was the worst single attack on Air Force personnel since the invasion of Afghanistan nearly 10 years ago.