Service before self lives on in spirit

Published June 14, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Samuel Taylor
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- When Senior Airman Elizabeth Loncki deployed to Iraq in 2006, the 23-year-old explosive ordinance disposal technician dyed her hair a conservative brown "to make sure the males did not pay too much attention to the new, blonde Airman." Her reputation, she decided, was not going to center around her looks. Instead, she became known for her toughness and competiveness, regularly matching men push-up for push-up in the gym. Her pride in her duty carried her; she kept a diary, in which she wrote of her deployment, "If I could only save one life, it would be worth it." She did that - many times over.

After disarming more than 20 explosive devices, and saving potentially hundreds of lives, tragedy struck. On Jan. 7, 2007, a roadside bomb just outside Baghdad robbed the Air Force of one of its finest members, just weeks before she was scheduled to return home.

On June 13, 2012, Loncki's family united with members of Dover Air Force Base, Del., and the local community to commemorate the establishment of First Term Airmen Center classroom 315 - now dubbed "SrA Loncki Classroom." The ceremony celebrated a life dedicated to "service before self."

But why donate a classroom at Dover AFB to Loncki, an Airman assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah? Tech. Sgt. Jessica Smith, the NCO in charge of FTAC, explained: "Senior Airman Loncki was a native of New Castle, Del., so I immediately felt a connection with her, being from Delaware myself. When I saw Travis Air Force Base, Calif., had done a classroom dedication, I contacted [Loncki's] family and asked if we could do a similar ceremony here. I wanted the Airmen coming from basic military training and technical school to look at her photo on the wall and understand that this is no day-job, and that being an Airman could mean risking your life to saves others'."

Evidence of this fact can be found throughout classroom 315 - printed on the west-facing wall, a line in the Airman's Creed reads, "I defend my Country with my Life;" on the north-facing wall, a shadow box displays Loncki's decorations and awards. These symbols of sacrifice adorn the classroom in which Airmen will embark upon their own journey.

When asked what Loncki would have said to the students of classroom 315, Christine Loncki, Elizabeth's grandmother, responded: "to take pride in the job they have committed to do; to make a family wherever they go; and to be proud of being an Airman, like she was."

Her example will touch hundreds of Airmen that pass through the doors of classroom 315. From her to them, there exists an unbroken circle - her life inspires hope.