CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
A 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron technical sergeant passed away May 19 after a tractor accident at his home.
Tech. Sgt. Eon-Paul Harry was pulling a tree out of the ground when the tractor jerked and rolled on top of him.
Sergeant Harry was pulling the tree out because he was working on building an airstrip next to the house where he lived with his wife and two children in Bloomville, S.C.
"His dream was to build an airstrip through his property," said Wendy Harry, Sergeant Harry's wife. "He flew all over the world to these wonderful places and when we'd ask about them, all he would say is, 'No other place is better than home.' He was an incredible man. He was precious to me."
Sergeant Harry was a flying crew chief who left a positive impression with many people at Charleston AFB.
"Harry's integrity was above reproach and he was also very humble and never complained about his job," said Master Sgt. Ronald Bancroft, Sergeant Harry's supervisor. "His work ethic was incredible. He did it right the first time. If he said an aircraft was ready to fly, you knew that aircraft was ready to fly."
Sergeant Harry's commander also shared some of his remarks about Sergeant Harry's contributions to Team Charleston.
"Sergeant Harry was an outstanding man, co-worker, friend and maintainer who was easy to get along with," said Maj. Brad Tannehill, 437 AMXS commander. "He was always willing to help and would give anyone the shirt off his back. He loved and lived the Air Force. He was also full of life and his dedication to duty was unparalleled."
Sergeant Harry was in the Air Force for 11 years and was stationed at Charleston AFB since September 2005. While in the Air Force, he traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan and many other countries as a flying crew chief. Sergeant Harry was also promoted to technical sergeant just recently before he passed away.
"He loved his job," said Sergeant Bancroft. "He'd work an eight-hour shift that would become 10 hours or 11 hours and he never said a word about how long it would take him to drive home. If we had more sergeants like Harry, the Air Force would be better than it is now."
A memorial service for Sergeant Harry was held May 24 in the base chapel.