Sheppard Remains Safe and Secure

  • Published
  • By Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux
  • 82nd Training Wing commander
As most of you know by now, we experienced a terrible tragedy here at Sheppard last week.

The morning of March 7, Senior Airman Blanca Luna, a 27-year-old Reservist trainee was found in her lodging room with a fatal knife wound. Airman Luna had been TDY to Sheppard since September, was attending a heating, ventilation and air conditioning course, and was due to graduate March 10. She was to return to her home unit, the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Force Base, Ind.

Losing any Airmen is always a tragedy in our Air Force, and the loss of Senior Airman Luna is no exception. Those who knew her are grieving this week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Airman Luna, as well as her fellow Airmen at Grissom.

Our local Office of Special Investigations is leading a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of her death with the expert assistance of the FBI. The death, while certainly suspicious, has not been characterized as a homicide. Investigators will continue to gather evidence and conduct interviews until they figure out what happened.

I urge anyone who has any information that may be related to this incident to contact our Sheppard Law Enforcement Desk at (940) 676-2981.

I can appreciate that many of you may feel anxious over this terrible incident, especially since we don't yet know all the facts surrounding her death. What I can tell you is that there is nothing to suggest that her death was the result of a random act of violence. No one on our base should feel threatened or at risk.

I assure you that your security and safety is our No. 1 priority. If we believed there was even a slightly-increased risk to our people and their families, I would immediately inform you and we would take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our people. Our assessment is there is no increased risk.

Of course, this doesn't change the philosophy of "Every Airman a Sensor." We all have a continuing responsibility to report anything that might pose a threat to our base and people so I urge you all to remain vigilant and keep your sensors up and running.

And thanks Team Sheppard for keep safety in the forefront ... our DUI index has been recently downgraded to Condition Yellow due to your emphasis, awareness and performance. Please keep your guard up, and remember, never drink with car keys in your pocket or purse.

Have a great weekend!