Village remembers, honors bravery of Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
  • 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
UPPER HEYFORD, United Kingdom --  A sentence in the Bible states that there is no greater demonstration of love than when a person lays down their life for a friend.

It is because of that type of love that two Airmen were honored in an Act of Commemoration in Upper Heyford, United Kingdom, almost 20 years after their act of altruism.

Capt. Jerry Lindh, 55th Fighter Squadron F-111E pilot, and Maj. David "Mike" McGuire, 55th FS F-111E navigator, died Sept. 17, 1992, when they decided to fly their crippled F-111E away from the villages of Upper Heyford and North Aston instead of ejecting.

"Although they were told by their control to eject they refused, knowing that the aircraft could crash with catastrophic loss of life and property in Upper Heyford or North Aston," Robert Menzies, chair of the Upper Heyford Parish Council and retired Royal Air Force Air Marshal, said during the Sept. 16 ceremony. "Their decision was an extraordinary act of bravery and self-sacrifice."

The accident happened when the F-111E was returning from a routine training flight to the base at Upper Heyford. As they approached the runway over the village, the plane developed serious mechanical problems that made a crash virtually inevitable. The crew refused to eject until they were clear of the village to prevent possible loss of life on the ground. This decision cost both men their lives, but probably saved many lives in the village. Their aircraft hit runway approach lights then scraped over Somerton road coming to a rest just yards from the last houses in Upper Heyford.

"We are here to remember Mike and Jerry," said Brig. Gen. John Quintas, the Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in London. "It is a personal honor, not because I flew the F-111, but because I was stationed here with Mike and Jerry, as part of the 55th Fighter Squadron. I am a better Airman and person because of them and their example.

"That day is something I will never forget," said the general. "It was the first time I was at a place with an aircraft accident and it was the first one I witnessed. I immediately got that feeling in my stomach that I never wanted to feel again and I hope none of you ever experience.

"These two men, in their actions during the last moments of their lives, did what we all hope we would do - they put the lives of countless other people above their own," said Quintas.

After a reading of the poem High Flight, also read during the memorial service in 1992, and an act of remembrance, Kathy McGuire, widow of Major McGuire, and Menzies placed a wreath at the base of the memorial to both men. The memorial reads, "In memory of Capt. Jerry Lindh and Maj. David 'Mike' McGuire who gallantly gave their loves to save our village on 17th Sept. 1992. God Bless from all your friends at Upper Heyford."

"Living back in the United States, I often wonder if Mike's sacrifice is still remembered here," said McGuire. "Being here today has made me realize that what he did still matters and that is very comforting."

After the service, an exhibition opened at the village Reading Room with displays marking the links between the base and the village. The village local history society and heritage group at the former base, which closed in 1993, supplied the material.