TRANSCRIPT: 57th Wing commander prepared statement
Nellis AFB Public Affairs
7/31/2008 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Good afternoon. I'm Colonel Russ Handy, commander of the 57th Wing. As you know, an F-15D Eagle, flying in support of our Red Flag exercises, crashed on the Nevada Test and Training Range approximately 50 miles east of Goldfield, Nevada, at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. More importantly, we lost a fellow Airman, Lt. Col. Thomas Bouley - the commander of the 65th Aggressor Squadron here and the pilot of the F-15 that went down. Colonel Bouley had recently celebrated his 20th year wearing the uniform and had more than 4,500 flight hours in the F-15 Eagle, Royal Air Force F-3 Tornado and the T-38 Talon. He was a decorated warrior, an inspiring leader of Airmen, and a loving father and husband. He served his country with distinction and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Colonel Bouley's family, his Air Force family, and all of his friends during this difficult time.
We also had another well-respected instructor pilot on board the aircraft yesterday...who we are relieved to say is recovering today at Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, here on Nellis Air Force Base. He is an exchange pilot from the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. He is working with and assisting the accident investigation board and his priority, of course, is to recover fully and devote his energy to supporting the investigation. For this reason, we are not able to release his name, nor provide interviews at this time. I can tell you he comes to us with extensive Royal Air Force Tornado F-3 experience and is now fully qualified in the F-16. He just recently began his assignment here with the 64th Aggressor Squadron and was receiving aggressor familiarization training during yesterday's flight.
He was recovered by base rescue crews and transported to our hospital where he spent the night for observation. Our thoughts are also with him and his family, and we wish him a very speedy recovery.
The investigation into this mishap began almost immediately. For the next several weeks, a trained Air Combat Command investigation board will focus their exclusive efforts on collecting and protecting evidence from the scene and gathering and analyzing all relevant data with the specific purpose of determining cause so we may prevent future mishaps. There is a fact sheet in your packet that describes this investigative process thoroughly. After the Accident Investigation Board concludes their process, its findings will be released by Air Combat Command.
Red Flag, as many of you may have noticed, is continuing. The value of the training we provide here at Nellis through exercises such as Red Flag is crucial to our success and the success of our allies in the current Global War on Terrorism and in preparing for future challenges. We know every day, when we put on this uniform, there are inherent risks in what we do... and we mitigate those risks as best we can. Nellis is the busiest flying base in our command, producing more than 42,000 sorties a year. As commander of this wing, the safety of our Airmen is at the top of my priority list. Protecting our nation's sons and daughters is a sacred trust, and we intend to do everything in our power to find the cause of this mishap so we may prevent it from happening again. Finally, we are extremely grateful to our local community. The support we have received has been terrific. Thank you.
