LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The 19th Airlift Wing commemorated the renaming of building 714 to “Self Hall” during a dedication ceremony, March 5.
The dormitory was consecrated in honor of Staff Sgt. John T. Self, a 314th Security Forces Squadron security forces specialist, who lost his life in Iraq on May 14, 2007, while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Self had volunteered for the year-long deployment to Iraq. When the request for applicants went out, the only information they had was that they'd be working with the Army training Iraqi Police and it would be dangerous.
In an email to his senior enlisted manager, Self acknowledged the danger and was willing to assume the risk anyways.
“Every time a military member comes to the desert, they're in the heat of danger," Self wrote in the email. "We're in countries where people don't like us, and they would kill us the first chance they get. Besides, it's my job to be in the heat of danger. Whether it's looking for insurgents, guarding detainees, or sitting on a fence line, it's all dangerous and can result in death. Every time I set foot into a compound, I was risking my life for my country. It is my job to serve my country to the best of my ability and die for it if I must."
During the deployment, Self served as a fire team leader assisting Iraqis take back the streets of Baghdad. While on his 79th combat patrol, his vehicle was struck by an IED, killing him and wounding three fellow Airmen on the patrol.
“The emotions were extremely strong for everybody,” said Master Sgt. Daniel Hunsperger, 19th Security Forces Squadron logistics superintendent and a member of Self's fire team during the deployment to Iraq. “There had been different types of incidents throughout the time there, but this was the first one that we actually lost somebody on our team.”
When the idea arose to re-name one of the dormitories after a fallen member who has served at Little Rock Air Force Base, Hunsperger said he immediately thought of Self and the sacrifice he made for his country.
“It's extremely important for people to know the person that he was,” Hunsperger said. “I think a lot of people, especially within the security forces career field, they know of him, but what they don’t know is that he was constantly volunteering to go to that next thing. This was his fourth tour during that time as only a staff sergeant. I think that just shows, as a whole, the type of person he was and that he was constantly putting his country before himself.”
As part of the dorm dedication, a mural and display were placed in the entryway of the building.
Hunsperger said it serves as a way to further educate junior-enlisted Airmen on their heritage and serve as inspiration to be better versions of themselves.
“We can teach Airmen about heritage in classes or books, but I think when we bring that to them, it allows them to dive deeper,” he said. “When they're inside the dorm that's named after a fallen Air Force member, that's going to make that individual want to dig more into that person's legacy and uncover more information about who they were.”
Self’s family, including his mother, Jill Self, were able to make the trip from Mississippi to attend the ceremony. During their visit, they received a tour of the 19th SFS building, met with the members involved in the dedication process and then toured the building itself as a family.
“I was honored to see what the Airmen at Little Rock Air Force Base did to allow my son’s memory to be ingrained in the walls of this dorm forever,” said Jill Self. “It is nice to know that people thought so highly of him to do a thing like this for him and our family.”
Home to dozens of junior-enlisted Airmen, many of whom are Security Forces Airmen, Self Hall is an opportunity to memorialize and celebrate the perseverance, character, and extraordinary courage of an important part of a proud Herk Nation heritage.
"He believed in everything he did,” Hunsperger said in a 2007 interview. “We'll never forget Sergeant Self. No matter what, he is still with us. He is still part of us. Every joke, every laugh, everything he did and stood for will always have a special place in our hearts."