WESTFIELD — As the nation prepares to remember its fallen military heroes on Memorial Day, airmen at Barnes Air National Guard Base paused on May 20 to remember 13 of its own who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

The 13 airmen died in aviation-related events between 1948 and 2014 while assigned to the 104th Fighter Wing. They were honored at the F-100 rededication ceremony, which has taken place every year following the monument’s original dedication on May 17, 1987.

The monument is a real F-100 fighter jet painted to duplicate the colors used by the 104th Fighter Wing when it flew the plane. The names of the 13 fallen airmen who gave their lives in the performance of their duties to the state and country are engraved at the monument’s base.

The rededication ceremony is a continuing tribute that honors the service and sacrifice of the fallen airmen. The ceremony included the placement of a memorial wreath, a 21-gun salute, taps and an F-15 flyover. Several family members of the airmen who were killed, as well as families of the 104th who helped to create the monument were at the ceremony.

Also in attendance was Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe, members of the City Council, state Rep. Kelly Pease and state Sen. John Velis.

Air Force Col. David “Moon” Halasi-Kun, the 104th Fighter Wing’s vice commander, presided over the brief ceremony, which included the reading of the names of the of the fallen airmen as the wreath was laid.

Halasi-Kun said the monument “is a constant reminder of the impact of defending our country in a time of crisis and of keeping our nation safe.” He said each of the 13 airmen whose names are engraved on the memorial show why the need for military service in the country is so great.

“Every time I walk by this memorial, I think of those 13 airmen. They will always be our heroes and we’ll always keep them in our hearts,” said the vice commander. “Their lives — and their deaths — have meaning.”

Below is a list of the airmen from the 104th unit whose names are engraved on the F-100 memorial. Also included are the locations of the accidents and the dates they died.

1st Lt. Edward W. Meacham, Monomoy Point, MA, Aug. 17, 1948
Maj. Robert Anderstrom, Granby, CT, May 7, 1954
1st Lt. Richard Brown, Granville, MA, Oct. 19, 1954
Tech. Sgt. Austin A. Cooper, Granville, MA, Oct. 19, 1954
Capt. Frank A. Gibe, Westfield, MA, July 28, 1956
Maj. Richard W. Mahoney, New Orleans, LA, April 22, 1961
1st Lt. Joseph F. Crehore, Chalons, France, March 21, 1962
Capt. Hugh M. Lavalle, Upstate New York, Nov. 16, 1963
Capt. John H. Paris, Westfield, MA, July 17, 1964
Maj. James Romanowicz, Granby, MA, Feb. 1, 1965
Capt. Leonard E. Bannish, Wilkes-Barre, PA, May 30, 1968
Maj. John S. Southrey, Wells, NY, Sept. 17, 1986
Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr., Longmeadow, MA, Aug. 27, 2014

The 104th Fighter Wing unit can deploy anywhere in the world with 21 assigned F-15C Eagle jet aircraft. The unit is trained to provide 24/7 Aerospace Control Alert, providing armed fighters ready to scramble in a moment’s notice to protect the northeastern United States from any airborne threat and to provide security for one-quarter of the nation’s population.

Unit members are always on call for emergency responses that can include security, logistics, communications, explosive ordnance disposal, firefighting and medical support to the nation and the state.