BUILDING AN AFGHAN AIR FORCE: AIR ADVISOR MEMORIAL WALL

This wall memorializes eleven US personnel who died in Afghanistan helping to build an Afghan Air Force. The wall was a blast barrier at an international military compound at Kabul International Airport. As coalition forces withdrew from Afghanistan, USAF Civil Engineers rescued the memorial wall to prevent its defacement or destruction.

The names on the wall recount two incidents. In 2011, eight USAF Air Advisors and a US veteran contractor died when an Afghan Air Force pilot turned his weapon against them. In 2015, a British helicopter crashed in Kabul, killing two Air Advisors, two British troops, and a French civilian.

The Mission

USAF Air Advisors and international partners helped Afghans develop their skills and organization from 2005-2021. They taught through close mentoring and instruction, striving to overcome cultural, language, and other barriers. Advisors came from many career fields and were specially trained to encourage and understand their hosts. Another permanent memorial is at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, where the Air Advisors trained.

 

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