Page 5 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt – December 2025

Thunderbolt News http://www.luke.af.mil
December 5, 2025 5 Facebook.com/LukeThunderbolt
MEMORIAL
(from Page 2)
said. “It lives on through families like the Blacks, the Frit- zes, and the Hankamers, who carry the memory of their loved ones with grace and strength.”
The Vietnam Security Police Association led the multi- year effort to design, fund, and install the memorials. Through more than $100,000 in donations, the associa- tion ensured the creation of two lasting tributes, one in Texas and one now standing at Luke AFB. Among those in attendance was Sandra Jane Hanker, daughter of Sgt. Gregory Hankamer, one of the fallen.
She traveled from out of state to see her father honored nearly five decades after his death. “It has been 50 years,” Hanker said. “To see everybody keeping the memory of these men alive, there’s no word to describe it. It makes you proud as hell. I’m proud of him, my father, of the men. Proud of all of you. The people that put this event together put in a lot of effort to make this happen.”
She recalled how her father volunteered for the mis- sion. “They had somebody coming out and driving up and down the street to get people to recall for the mission and people didn’t want to because they weren’t willing to leave their families,” Hanker said. “My dad was one of the ones that went back and recalled back in. He meant to do that. He volunteered. He wasn’t told to do it. He chose to.”
Hanker named her son after her father to ensure his legacy would live on. Seeing her father’s name engraved on the memorial, she said, brings comfort and pride to her family and future generations.
The Knife 13 memorial now stands as part of Luke’s heritage, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice and inspiring Airmen who serve today. The names on the polished granite may belong to another generation, but their spirit lives on in every Airman who raises their right hand to serve. The legacy of Knife 13 endures, not only in stone, but in the heart of the Air Force.
Family members of the fallen members of Knife 13 join Airmen from the 56th Fighter Wing in unveiling the Knife 13 Memorial Wall, Oct. 10, 2025, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The new monument serves as a lasting tribute to the 18 security policemen and five aircrew members who perished when their CH-53C Sea Stallion crashed on May 13, 1975. The polished granite monument bears the names of the fallen and reflects the enduring bond between past and present generations of Airmen.
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