Hundreds of First Responders Line Long Stretch of Rural Highway to Pay Respects to Virginia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

Today, the body of Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss was transferred from Dover Air Force Base, back to Hampton Roads in Virginia. He served at Langley-Eustis Air Force Base for the last four years. Along the route, approximately 150 miles long along on the Eastern Shore, from Dover, DE to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, police officers, fighter fighters, and many others paid tribute to the fallen hero.

Below is a tweet from Wavy TV 10 that shows the Tasley, VA firefighters paying their respects to Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss.

Salute to fallen Langley airman: Tasley firefighters stand to pay their respects as the body of Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss returns to Hampton Roads.

Voss was one of two airmen killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan on Jan. 27. (Tasley Vol. Fire Company photo) https://t.co/qyCdxnEHGt pic.twitter.com/WOeEHk4kqY

— WAVY TV 10 (@WAVY_News) February 11, 2020

Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, (46) of Yigo, Guam and Capt Ryan S. Phaneuf, (30) of Hudson, New Hampshire died in Ghazni Province, in the eastern part of Afganistan, on January 27th. Their Bombardier E-11A electronic surveillance plane crashed, they were the only two aboard. The Taliban claimed responsibility for bringing down the aircraft. However, the Pentagon said there are no indications that the crash was caused by enemy fire. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation according to a statement from the DOD.

Voss had volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan and was in his 25th year of service in the Air Force. General Mike Holmes said in a statement “Lt. Col. Paul Voss was our brother and teammate. The men and women of our Air Force knowing put themselves in harm’s way and I’m thankful for great Americans like them. It’s really hard to describe how sad we are at the loss of two great Airmen.”

In the tweet below, Ocean City Police officer salutes Lt. Col., Paul K. Voss, as the procession passes.

Thank you for your service Lt. Col. Paul Voss. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Lt. Col. Voss is being escorted from the Dover Air Force Base to his hometown in Virginia. #military #UnitedStates #USAF #SupportOurTroops pic.twitter.com/SJv9mXLFr1

— Ocean City PD (@OCPDMDInfo) February 11, 2020

Military Times reported:

“Jimmy Santos, who deployed with Voss to Bagram in 2010, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that Voss was “down to earth, full of knowledge, and a phenomenal mentor” whose sense of humor and leadership carried him during that deployment. At the time of his deployment, Santos was a senior airman serving as a tactical systems operator for the MC-12 program.

“Paul Voss was one of those rare mission commanders that enlisted service members would love to fly with,” said Santos, who is now a policy analyst working for the city of Boston. “When things would get bad, he wouldn’t sugarcoat it. He would be one of the few officers the enlisted could look to helping us boost our morale and regain focus on the mission. He was there for us. He got us through the anger, the depression, the confusion. Simply put, he got it.”

The two soldier’s remains were transferred to Dover Air Force Base on January 30th from overseas, and now have both been sent home. The video below shows the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base.