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Friends and family honor pilot killed in F-15A crash
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Eulogy for a shining, fallen star
Military pomp, heartfelt speeches -- even some humor -- celebrate the life of Maj. Greg Young
Friday, July 06, 2007
MARK LARABEE
The Oregonian Staff
ST. HELENS -- When Gov. Ted Kulongoski spoke Thursday at the memorial service for Oregon Air National Guard Maj. Gregory Dean Young, excellence was an appropriate description for a man at the cutting edge of a dangerous and demanding profession.
Young died June 26 when his F-15 Eagle jet crashed off the Oregon coast during a combat training flight. He was 34. His death ended a life filled with dedication to family, friends and country.
From the stories told by friends and comrades to a packed gym at St. Helens High School, it was always Young's place in life to shine. He was an honors graduate at St. Helens and went on to Oregon State University, where he earned a degree in civil engineering, again graduating with honors. He was commissioned by the Air Force through the university's ROTC program and was selected to attend the prestigious Euro NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. He went on to be a program instructor.
Reflecting on these lofty accomplishments from such a young man, Kulongoski reminded people that Young knew and accepted the risks of his job willingly because he was a patriot and a dedicated pilot.
"Only by taking risks with his own life would he be ready to defend our nation from the risks presented by our enemies and from terrorism," Kulongoski said. "Major Greg Young was an Oregon Air National Guard pilot who fell from the sky but who will never fall from his true place of honor nor from our loving grace."
The cause of the crash, which happened while the veteran pilot and others from the Portland-based 142nd Fighter Wing were dogfighting with Marine Corps pilots from Texas, is under investigation.
The father of four was a St. Helens native. Friends and family mixed with a sea of Air Force blue during the ceremony colored by photographs, military pomp and meaningful speeches.
Photos of his life flashed on a big screen. They showed him with his wife, Tonya, and children, Dane, Gage, Chandley and Kaitlyn. They showed him holding large salmon, freshly killed deer and birds. And there were a few from the cockpit.
An Air Force color guard marching to the somber tune of a single bagpipe carried in his ashes, setting them prominently on a table with flowers and two folded American flags. A minister read a prayer.
Addressing Young's parents, David and Carol Young, and St. Helens at large, Kulongoski said: "Who he was, you made him. How he lived, you taught him."
Major Gen. Raymond Rees, who heads the Oregon National Guard, said Young's unit had gone 18 years without a fatality and had flown a combined 77,000 hours without a mishap.
"Why couldn't that have gone on forever?" he asked. "In losing Greg we are given a painful reminder that ours is a dangerous business but is a danger we must accept if we are to secure our rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness."
Aaron Vance, a friend since age 12, said Young approached friendship with 100 percent dedication. The two lived together in college, and Vance joked that he never needed an alarm clock because Young was up at 5:30 a.m. every day for ROTC training.
"And he was whistling," Vance said. "If you've ever heard him whistling, it wasn't a pretty sound."
Both Vance and another friend, Josh Komp, said Young was truly humble. When they would ask about the Air Force or flying jets, Young would always turn the conversation back to them, or talk about his own family. He never bragged.
"Greg was like a brother to so many of us," Komp said.
Young was posthumously awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Award and the Oregon Exceptional Service Award. Outside, on the football field, he was honored with a 21-gun salute. A bugler played taps, and his wife and parents were given folded U.S. flags.
Above them, four F-15s flew by slow and loud, a space for a fifth left empty in Young's honor on the right wing of the formation. As the jets passed overhead, one turned straight up, lit the burners and disappeared into blue sky.