Airmen from the 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron in Southwest Asia gathered to mourn one of their own who died March 21.
Staff Sgt. Alexandria Morrow, a weapons loader, was killed during non-combat operations while performing maintenance duties, the Air Force said.
According to WHEC in New York, Morrow died in Jordan when she was loading a bomb onto a plane. Something broke, causing the bomb to slip and hit her in the head. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.
Morrow, who served in the Air Force for seven years, was assigned to the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. However, she worked for the 322nd overseas, according to a spokesman at the Idaho base.
During the memorial, members from Morrow's deployed unit shared stories about "Mother Alex," a nickname she earned for her caring personality, according to an Air Forces Central Command news release.
"We mourn for Alexandria Mae Morrow because she was one of the kindest people many of us have ever known," Lt. Col. Paul Tower, 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron commander, said in the release. "She was a loving wife to her husband, an amazing mother to her children, and our fellow warrior and friend — a friend who could be trusted in the toughest of times."
The 25-year-old from Dansville, New York, earned respect for her professionalism and proficiency. According to the news release, Morrow was chosen to brief the commander of U.S. Central Command on weapons loading operations when he visited the undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.
"How do we measure the impact someone’s love has on others?" Capt. Wesley Sheppard, expeditionary aircraft maintenance unit officer in charge, said in the release. "I realized the best measure was in the amount of love our team felt for her. We can see how much she loved others by the emotions, the looks on everyone’s faces as we processed that we lost the mom of the flightline. We could see it by the tears that rolled down our faces and by the tight hugs we gave each other."
Morrow’s family created a GoFundMe pageon Thursday with a goal of raising $15,000. Four days later, it had exceeded $38,500. The money will help her family with any expenses, according to the fundraising page.
The Air Force Forum Facebook page posted a photo with a tribute to Morrow. It showed a bomb with the following message:
"To: ISIS
From: Alexandria Morrow
'Here's a toast'"
Charlsy Panzino covers the Guard and Reserve, training, technology, operations and features for Army Times and Air Force Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.
Charlsy is a Reporter and Engagement Manager for Military Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.
