'Price of freedom is costly'

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — In the same F-16 hangar where tears of joy flowed in September when families welcomed home 200 Hill Air Force Base airmen returning from Iraq, grief and loss prevailed Friday among the hundreds of people gathered to honor three Hill airmen killed near Baghdad this past week.

"What is the price of freedom?" asked Hill Chaplain Capt. Alex Jack. When taking a stand for freedom against "tyranny" or "evil," Jack said the price is that "somebody or many somebodies die."

"Blood is shed, lives are lost, dreams and future plans are shattered," he added. "Parents bury children — children grow up without a mom or dad. The price of freedom is extremely costly."

Tech. Sgt. Timothy Weiner, 35; Senior Airman Elizabeth Loncki, 23; and Senior Airman Daniel Miller, 24, were killed in Al-Mahmudiyah last Sunday as they approached a car with a bomb inside. A fourth airman from Maryland is recovering from shrapnel wounds he received to his legs during the blast.

The three Hill airmen were part of the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Flight. They were among about 1,200 active-duty EOD airmen currently serving in the Air Force. Hill has sent numerous EOD experts to Iraq for a high-intensity job that includes disabling improvised explosive devices.

"Simply put, Tim, Liz and Dan were the best in the world," said Lt. Col. Craig Biondo, commander of the 775th.

The three are the first Hill airmen killed in action during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Loncki is believed to be the first female EOD airman in the Air Force to have been killed in Iraq.

Burial services for Weiner, Miller and Loncki will take place in Colorado, Illinois and Delaware. Weiner's wife, Deborah, and son John, 15, were the only family members of the fallen able to attend the ceremony at Hill. The Weiners had recently made their home near the Hill base.

Weiner was described as a devoted family man with an infectious sense of humor.

"I have never seen a man work so hard to balance family and service," Master Sgt. Michael Frech told the crowd of about 650, which included explosive experts from other local and federal agencies.

On a stage inside the hangar, a bomb suit was displayed, like the one Weiner had worn so often in his job. At least one of the airmen was wearing a similar protective suit at the time of the explosion, according to a Hill official. Typically, an EOD team member who dons the suit is known to take the "lonely" walk to get closest to the explosive device.