MSgt Joseph C. Beard Jr. was not a Beaner but he flew with many of us.  He was an AMT assigned to the 310th Airlift Squadron at Howard and one of the most enthusiastic flyers I have ever flown with.  He was always smiling and genuinely excited every time he set foot on an airplane. 

It was the same on 24 April 1992.  Joe wasn't supposed to be on the flight but one of his fellow AMT's child
was sick and so Joe volunteered to replace him.  We took off from Howard that day not knowing that it was to be Joe's last flight. 

During a refueling stop in Ecuador the pilot noticed that one of the torque gauges for an engine wasn't working.  Joe took a look at it and found a broken wire.  It looked like we were going to be spending the night in Ecuador waiting for a replacement gauge when Joe said he could fix it if we could get a soldering iron.  The pilot, Joe, and I walked down to the maintenance shed at the airfield and talked to the mechanics.

One of them said he had one at his house so we piled into his truck and drove to his house.  Joe fixed the gauge right there in the mechanic's living room.

     After taking off we flew our mission and were returning to base when two Peruvian Air Force SU-22 (FITTER) aircraft reacted to us 70 miles off the coast of Peru.  Joe immediately went to an observation window in the right paratroop door and called out fighter positions to the pilot. This was not part of Joe's job but he did it anyway. 

When the lead fighter opened fire on the plane Joe called it out to the pilot and pushed another crewmember away from the window.  The cannon fire struck the window Joe was stationed in and he was sucked out of the plane during the rapid decompression.  We were at 18,500 feet and Joe had no survival gear on.

     An exhaustive search and rescue never recovered his body.  Joe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart for his actions that day.  He was also awarded the Mackay trophy along with the rest of the crew for the Air Force's most meritorious flight of 1992.

     Joe was an inspiration to many that flew with him and died what he loved doing most, flying.