The two special operations airmen who died after a parachute training incident Monday were identified as Tech Sgt. Timothy A. Officer Jr. and Tech Sgt. Marty B. Bettelyoun.
Both men died of injuries sustained during military freefall training at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. They belonged to the 24th Special Operations Wing.
Specific information about how the incident unfolded will not be released while the matter is under investigation, a Tuesday news release from the 24th SOW stated. Investigations can take up to a year to complete.
“Tech Sergeants Timothy Officer and Marty Bettelyoun were the epitome of a Special Tactics Airman: professional, dedicated and prepared to give their lives in service to their country,” Col. Wolfe Davidson, commander of the 24th SOW, said in a statement. “Our community has taken a huge loss with their deaths, and they will be sorely missed.”
Officer, 32, was a Tactical Air Control Party airman assigned to the 720th Operations Support Squadron. He served 14 years in the Air Force, during which he deployed several times in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Officer provided Chief, Joint Terminal Attack Controller program management, training, and oversight for eight Special Tactics squadrons encompassing over 900 combat controllers, pararescuemen, special operations weathermen, tactical air control party, and mission support personnel,” according to his Air Force biography.
He was awarded the Bronze Star twice, once with the “V” device for valor, his biography said.
Bettelyoun, 35, was a Combat Controller who was also with the 720th Operations Support Squadron. He too had several combat deployments during his 15-year Air Force career.
“As the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Surveys and Assault Zones, Bettelyoun provided assault zone and survey program management, training, and oversight for eight special tactics units encompassing over 900 combat controllers, pararescuemen, special operations weathermen, tactical air control party, and mission support personnel,” his Air Force biography said.
He completed Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape school in 2001 and later taught SERE techniques to thousands of airmen and other personnel at high risk of being captured. In 2006, he retrained and became a combat controller.
Officer and Bettelyoun were respected by their peers for their battlefield skills and their commitment to friends and loved ones, Davidson said in Tuesday’s statement.
“In the face of this tragedy, we will honor their service and their sacrifice, and we request others respect their family’s privacy as they take it one day at a time,” he said.
