Fairchild remembers fallen Shell 77 airmen

Friday, May 3, 2019, marked the sixth anniversary of the crash that killed Pinckney, TSgt. Herman “Tre” Mackey and Capt. Mark “Tyler” Voss in the skies over Kyrgystan. The three were the only crew on a KC-135 refueling tanker which experienced control malfunctions which caused the plane to break up shortly after leaving Manas, Kyrgyzstan on a refueling mission in 2013. The crew is memorialized with engraved stone benches in the memorial park area of Fairchild Air Force Base, where the commemoration took place.

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Fri., May 3, 2019

Michelle Castro, mother of Capt. Victoria “Tory” Pinckney, spends a few moments by her daughter’s memorial on Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash that killed Pinckney, TSgt. Herman “Tre” Mackey and Capt. Mark “Tyler” Voss in the skies over Kyrgyzstan.

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The Fairchild Air Force Base color guard prepares for the commemoration Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the KC-135 crash that killed Capt. Victoria Pinckney, TSgt. Herman “Tre” Mackey and Capt. Mark “Tyler” Voss in the skies over Kyrgyzstan.

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The Fairchild Air Force Base color guard presents the colors, Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash that killed Capt. Victoria Pinckney, TSgt. Herman “Tre” Mackey and Capt. Mark “Tyler” Voss in the skies over Kyrgyzstan.

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Col. Derek Salmi, commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, makes remarkes at the sixth anniversary remembrance of the crash of Shell 77.

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The memorial benches for the crew of Shell 77 are decorated, Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash.

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Larry and Michelle Castro, left, parents of Capt. Victoria “Tory” Pinckney, are assisted in laying a wreath on their daughter’s memorial by Senior Airman Samuel Roberts, right, Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash.

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Michelle and Larry Castro, center and at right, parents of Capt. Victoria “Tory” Pinckney, are assisted in laying a wreath on their daughter’s memorial by Senior Airman Samuel Roberts, left, Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash.

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The memorial for the three-person crew of Shell 77, a KC-135 tanker that crashed in Kyrgyzstan in 2013, is decorated for the sixth anniversary commemoration, Friday, May 3, 2019, at Fairchild Air Force Base.

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A KC-135 air refueling tanker flies over the memorial park at Fairchild Air Force Base, Friday, May 3, 2019, the sixth anniversary of the crash that killed Capt. Victoria Pinckney, TSgt. Herman “Tre” Mackey and Capt. Mark “Tyler” Voss in the skies over Kyrgyzstan.

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