This is in memory and to honor my fallen patriot in arms Officer and United States Air Force Security Forces and Security Policeman Mr. Jon Hopper.
What I will tell you is no "Brian Williams war story." I served with Jon in the Air Force. And we did some very dangerous duties. Jon was a nice guy and very humble and laid back and I am sure that many of you do not know what we we had to go through on a daily basis when we were protecting and serving our nation.
Without getting myself in trouble I will try to stay out of our classified stuff which even after the end of our Cold War in Germany is still classified(smile). Some of our duties were and I witnessed Jon in action and he was a top shelf and first rate Air force police officer. Though we did get a chance to sleep, we were still on our mission 24 hours a day. Jon may have worked a 12- to a 16-hour shift but if we went into an alert we had to get back up and finish our shift since we were on a priority A nuclear weapons base. The main enemy The Red Army faction was always looking for us to drop our guard. And they would try to get on our base or they were always blowing things up.
If you go online and "Google" or search 1984 West Germany and NATO and all subjects relating to us you will see some scary stuff. I served with Jon from 1984 to 1988 then I volunteered to separate at the request of then President Ronald Reagan in efforts to save the government money. But Jon stayed in the Air Force. He stuck it out and really made the Air Force shine both as a human being and as a great Air Force cop.
It was a true and blessed honor to have served with Officer Hopper. Several years ago he was online (the internet makes the it a small world). And he found me. I wish I would have joined the police force and served with him. But I am not the lean mean terrorist fighting machine I was at 50 some years of age my medical short-falls have been catching up with me (smile). Jon told me he was now a policeman in the private sector in Tennessee and I believe at one time he was even promoted to Lieutenant and had put his resume in for a Police Chief job. I am sorry he did not get it. he would have made one grade A number one leader. I did not know that Jon had left us. I am not very good at the computer as Jon would have told you.
I wrote his APR (Airman Performance Reports) with those old school typewriters long before the internet and keyboards. The last rating I gave him on his APR was exceptional. But he did not need me as a supervisor or any of his supervisors to write about his performance as his actions spoke louder than our typed words. I never dreamed I would make contact with Officer Hopper after I left Germany.
It will be very sad now to pass it on to other SP's (Security Police) that we lost Jon. But like Jon I am also a Christian and I was happy that God made me a Air Force cop also. And as Christians we know when our journey is done and our mission on this earth and our Lord and Jesus calls us home like I know we will all go one day then we must obey our highest calling and that is follow God to his Kingdom of Heaven. I am glad most of all that I was at least able to keep in touch Officer Hopper for at least a little while. My deepest heartfelt condolences to all of Jon's family,friends,loved ones and acquaintances. I will miss Officer Hopper. He was and is still a good ma. Defensor Fortis (Defenders of the Force) to you, Jon, and Hoo-rah till we all get to Heaven SP.!
Sheldon W. Rice
Columbia, S.C.
(former USAF SSGT SP service in West Germany 50th SPS 50th TFW Hahn Flugplatz Deutschland 1984-88 and reserve SP 919th Special Operations Group Duke fld & Hurlburt Fld Special OPS HQ, 315/437th SPS Charleston AFB,SC and 332nd ESPS (Expeditionary Security Police Squardon,Al Jabber Air Base Kuwait July to Sept 2001, medical retirement Dec 2001 and honored to have served with our lives myself and Office Jon Hopper)
Sarge Rice