Gone But Not Forgotten

Honoring fallen comrades is an important part of the AOG mission and we ask to be notified as soon as possible of the death of any graduate, Air Training Officer or cadet so that we can take appropriate actions. The AOG has learned of the following deaths within the past 90 days.

For best results, try searching by Last Name (e.g. Smith), Class Year (e.g. 1959), or Cadet Squadron (e.g. CS-01). More complex searches may not return desired results.

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Gen (Ret) Howell Estes III - Class of 1965, CS-19

Deceased on March 18, 2024 - Informed on March 27, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A private service will be held at the Verbeck Gravesite in the Malius Village Cemetery in Manlius, NY. Donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Verbeck Scholarship at the Manlius Pebble Hill School, 5300 Jamesville Rd. Syracuse, NY 13214. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/howell-estes-obituary?id=54699843

Mr. Frederick Bradstreet III - Class of 1961, CS-06

Deceased on March 12, 2024 - Informed on March 27, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Funeral service: 1100 hours 22 March 2024 at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 158 Old West Hopkinton Rd., Henniker, NH. Burial will follow at 1500 hours at the new Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 D.W. Boscawen, NH 03303. Memorial donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to VFW Post 1631, 6 Court St., Concord, NH 03301or to the American Red Cross; designated donation to "Service to Military Families", 2 Maitland St., Concord, NH 03301 Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/concord-nh/frederick-bradstreet-11708295

Mr. Ronald Deptula - Class of 1981, CS-15

Deceased on March 15, 2023 - Informed on March 27, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Visitation was held 1300 hours 25 March 2023 at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home, 1405 John Sims Pkwy E, Niceville, FL 32578. Military Honors were rendered 1530 hours 25 March 2023 at McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home, 1405 John Sims Pkwy E, Niceville, FL 32578. Burial: Arlington National Cemetery. Donations: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, https://t2t.org/donate/ Obituary: https://www.mclaughlintwincities.com/tributes/Ronald-Deptula

Mr. Abderrahim Hammoumi - Class of 1995, CS-31

Deceased on May 15, 2024 - Informed on March 20, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Funeral service: 17 March 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco. No further information is available at this time.

Col (Ret) Craig Miller - Class of 1959, CS-04

Deceased on March 7, 2024 - Informed on March 11, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Services will be held at a later date at the USAFA cemetery. Obituary: https://www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com/obituary/Craig-Miller

Lt Col (Ret) Gregory Harbin - Class of 1987, CS-23

Deceased on March 4, 2024 - Informed on March 11, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Funeral service: 1400 hours on 11 Mar 2024 at Kilgore-Green Funeral Home, 1200 BIrmingham Ave., Jasper, AL 3550. Burial immediately followed at Gray-Odom Memorial Cemetery, 1270 Pleasant Field Rd, Parrish, AL 35580. Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jasper-al/usaf-ltc-ret-gregory-harbin-11699720

Maj (Ret) Martin Maier - Class of 1977, CS-21

Deceased on February 26, 2024 - Informed on March 11, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. A Celebration Life service: 1500 hours, 2 Mar 2024 at Trinity Fellowship Church, 301 Leisure Lane, Friendswood, Texas 77546. Memorial donation: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210 or https://gifts.mdanderson.org/Default.aspx?tsid=8443. Obituary: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/league-city-tx/martin-maier-11678476

Mr. Bradley Wensel - Class of 1992, CS-22

Deceased on February 25, 2024 - Informed on March 11, 2024

Please contact the Assocation of Graduates for condolence information. Memorial service: To be held at a later date at First Presbyterian Church of Fenton, 503 S Leroy St, Fenton, MI 48430. Burial service: To be held at a later date at the USAFA Cemetery. Obituary: https://www.tctimes.com/news/obituaries/bradley-robert-wensel/article_392906ba-da3a-11ee-b6ce-df9819816d83.html

Mr. David Essig - Class of 1973, CS-28

Deceased on February 26, 2024 - Informed on March 5, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Celebration of Life: 1900 hours on 3 Mar 2024 at Newcomer- SW Toledo Chapel, 4752 Heatherdowns Blvd, Toledo, OH 43614. Funeral Mass: 1030 hours on 4 Mar 2024 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 104 W Broadway St, Maumee, OH 43537. Interment will follow at Laketownship Cemetery, 3550 Walbridge Rd, Millbury, OH 43447. Obituary: https://www.newcomertoledo.com/Obituary/274708/David-Essig/Toledo-OH

Mr. R Paquin - Class of 1968, CS-30

Deceased on February 8, 2024 - Informed on March 5, 2024

Please contact the Association of Graduates for condolence information. Service information: A memorial will be planned for a later date. Memorial donation: In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Wounded Warriors Foundation, https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate or to an organization that provides service dogs to service members and veterans.

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Next of Kin

For Next of Kin support resources please visit: https://www.usafanextofkin.org/

Frequently Asked Questions

Gone But Not Forgotten Annual Publication

The Air Force Academy Association and Foundation are introducing a new benefit to better memorialize USAFA graduates and support their families. We are launching a new annual memorial publication in 2025.

A: As the Academy graduate population ages, Checkpoints is increasingly insufficient in accommodating the increasing number of obituaries. This has necessitated the creation of a new publication as part of our commitment to remembering all fallen graduates, Air Training Officers and cadets.
A: The purpose of the publication is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the Long Blue Line through the personal stories of our graduates. The publication is in the spirit of our mission to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution.
A: Gone But Not Forgotten will be part of the final name, which is not yet finalized.
A: No, but the Association will list basic information on deaths in each issue of Checkpoints.
A: No. If/when memorial articles are sent to the AOG, the tribute is posted to this webpage.
A: A complimentary copy will be mailed to a loved one of the deceased. It is not yet determined if the printed publication will be available at a nominal cost or at no cost to AOG members.
A: There will be a one-year transition period. Memorial articles sent in to run in Checkpoints in 2024 will also appear in the inaugural memorial publication. The deadline for Gone But Not Forgotten submissions in the December 2024 issue of Checkpoints is mid-October, but any memorial articles about deaths for the remainder of 2024 received by mid-January 2025 will appear in the inaugural 2025 stand-alone publication. Then going forward, the full years’ worth of tributes would be published in the next year’s volume.
A: The first memorial publication will likely be printed in February or March of 2025.
A: We currently have a 400-word maximum for each memorial tribute and will continue with that limit for the first stand-alone publication. We’re doing this because we have already received submissions at that length and don’t plan to ask for longer versions for the 2025 edition.
A: We will transition to roughly 450- or 900-word options for memorial tributes. Whoever writes and submits the memorial article with have the option to write to either word limit.
A: A recent favorite photo of the deceased, when possible. The photo (head and shoulders, color preferred) should be emailed as a .jpg and sent as a high-resolution image.
A: Please email Next-of-Kin Support Specialist Terri Davis at deceasednotifications@usafa.org.
A: That is coming soon.
A: Please reach out to David Bitton, assistant director of strategic communications and publications, at 719-247-8745 or use our Contact Form.

Gone But Not Forgotten