C-141 Ground breaking

Col. James Kerr, 514th Air Mobility Wing commander, Ted Strempack, Thomas B. McGuire Foundation president, and Col. Balan Ayyar, 305th AMW and installation commander, shovel the first dirt during a ground breaking ceremony for McGuire AFB’s C-141 Starlifter Memorial Park. The C-141 was the backbone of Air Mobility Command and its predecessor, Military Airlift Command, and it traveled the globe for nearly 41 years delivering cargo, troops and hope during peacetime and war. This memorial, which displays the flagship of McGuire Air Force Base’s original fleet, will honor the lives lost and the mission excellence demonstrated by McGuire Airmen who flew, maintained and supported this historic aircraft. The aircraft on display at McGuire, was named “The Garden State Airlifter” in recognition of the state’s contribution to the Air Force mission. In August 1967, it was the first C-141 to be delivered to McGuire. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenn Mann)