Fallen Nellis Airmen to be honored May 14 Published May 3, 2011 Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The Nevada Benefits Foundation and Gold Star Families will honor four fallen Nellis Airmen during the 6th Annual Defending Freedom Memorial dedication ceremony at the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center, 10-11 a.m. May 14. Hosted annually, the event honors fallen servicemembers with ties to Nevada and provides a forum for the community to express its appreciation for this sacrifice. The Defending Freedom Memorial was initially dedicated in 2005 and is comprised of seven sandstones with the engraved names of Nevada's fallen servicemen and women. This year, the names Nellis Airmen Senior Airman Michael Buras, Staff Sgt. David Smith, 1st Lt. Joel Gentz and Capt. David Wisniewski will be added to the memorial. All four Airmen were lost in 2010 while supporting operations in Afghanistan. The names of three other Nevada servicemembers U.S. Army Spc. Brian Tabada, U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew Hennigan and U.S. Marines Sgt. Frank Zaehringer will also be added to the memorial. All three servicemembers were also lost in Afghanistan during combat operations in 2010 and 2011. The memorial dedication ceremony is open to the public and provides a forum for the families as well as the community to show solidarity and support. For more information on the event, visit www.defendingfreedom.org.
