VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –
The Virginia Air National Guard’s 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers Squadron, 192nd Wing, conducted a memorial ceremony March 3, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to recognize the 25th anniversary of a plane crash which claimed the lives of 18 VaANG Airmen and three Florida Army National Guard aviators.
Eighteen members of the 203rd lost their lives when the C-23 Sherpa they were flying in crashed in a cotton field near Unadilla, Georgia, March 3, 2001. The 203rd Airmen were returning home after completing a two-week military construction project at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It was the largest loss of life in the Virginia National Guard since World War II.
During the ceremony, Col. Andrew M. Weidner, commander of the 192nd Wing, gave remarks, as did several former members of the 203rd. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, was also in attendance.
“Twenty-five years ago today, we lost the lives of 21 great Americans, 18 of whom belonged the 203rd RED HORSE,” said Weidner. “I want to express my gratitude from the 192nd Wing, and let you know that we are all your family.”
Debbie Turlip, the widow of retired Col. Thomas Turlip, who was in command of the 203rd at the time of the crash, also spoke at the ceremony. In 2001, in the immediate aftermath of the crash, she helped organize a support group of family members, which became the Charlie’s Club, a RED HORSE family support group which remains active.
“We knew that what we were doing was profound. Supporting the families, supporting unit members, supporting each other. We were trying to meet that moment,” she said. “There’s times that maybe you don’t think you need a support group like that, but what’s important to realize is that any time you do need it, Charlie’s Club is there.”
Turlip spoke at length about the events in 2001, and how the RED HORSE family came together to support everyone affected by the crash. Her emotional account was felt by everyone at the ceremony.
“It’s hard to put into words how it feels for me, speaking on behalf of my husband, in a room that’s now called the Col. Turlip Auditorium,” she said. “Emotion layered on emotion, and gratitude.”
Despite the quarter century which has passed since the tragic crash, the memories of the fallen Airmen endure. For Airmen newly-assigned to the 203rd, unit leadership makes sure they learn and remember.
“The tradition in the RED HORSE community is to welcome new members in front of the Squadron by presenting a red hat to symbolize their place in the RED HORSE family,” said Lt. Col. Carlos R. Nixon, the current commander of the unit. “At the 203rd, we add another tradition by giving the new member a dog tag with a missing piece in remembrance of the members we lost on March 3, 2001. This tradition is internal to the squadron and honors our history and those that shaped it.
“A quarter‑century is long enough that some people in the unit today weren’t even born when the crash happened, yet the impact still shapes the identity of the 203rd,” Nixon added.
The 203rd RED HORSE provides a highly-mobile civil engineering response force to support contingency operations worldwide. Read more about the unit at https://vngpao.info/2u9k7xeb.
203rd RED HORSE Airmen lost in the crash:
• Senior Master Sgt. James Beninati of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Paul Blancato of Norfolk, Virginia
• Master Sgt. Ernest Blawas of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Andrew H. Bridges of Chesapeake, Virginia
• Senior Master Sgt. Eric Bulman of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Paul Cramer of Norfolk, Virginia
• Master Sgt. Michael East of Parksley, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Ronald Elkin of Norfolk, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. James Ferguson of Newport News, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Randy Johnson of Emporia, Virginia
• Staff Sgt. Mathrew Kidd of Hampton, Virginia
• Senior Master Sgt. Michael Lane of Moyock, North Carolina
• Master Sgt. Edwin Richardson of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Master Sgt. Dean Shelby of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. John Sincavage of Chesapeake, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Gregory Skurupey of Gloucester, Virginia
• Tech. Sgt. Richard Summerell of Franklin, Virginia
• Maj. Frederick Watkins of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Florida Army National Guard Soldiers lost in the crash:
• Chief Warrant Officer 4 Johnny W. Duce of Orange Park, Florida
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric P. Larson of Land-O-Lakes, Florida
• Staff Sgt. Robert F. Ward Jr. of Lakeland, Florida