An air commando who died when his C-123 Provider flare ship was shot down over Ahn Khe, Vietnam, was laid to rest at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, Oct. 26, 2012. The 310th Air Commando Squadron loadmaster, A1C Jerry Mack Wall, and his unit of air commandos provided combat air patrol and airlift to soldiers, delivering ammunition, food, supplies and troops. They also flew out wounded and killed-in-action service members, as well as prisoners, but one of the most harrowing jobs was the “candlestick” mission. During those missions, loadmasters and flare kickers would load, unload and drop hundreds of flares from the skies over southern Vietnam, illuminating the enemy.
