01/27/2026
Six years ago today on 27 January 2020, Capt Ryan S Phaneuf and Lt Col Paul K Voss gave their lives in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel when their plane went down in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Lt Col Voss and Capt Phaneuf are the last airmen to have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the war in Afghanistan.
Ronald Reagan said, "There is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a servicemen, for we're never quite good enough to them - not really; we can't be, because what they gave us is beyond our powers to repay.”
Through his entire life of service Ryan has spoken more eloquently for himself into our hearts and our memories forever than any memorialization ever could. Still, there is always someone among us remembering. No matter what time of year it is, or what time of day, people will always call out “Hello Ryan, we still think of you. You’re still with us. We never got over you. We pray for you still. And we’ll see you again.”
