WILMINGTON, Ohio — A hero was returned home through a special motorcade in Wilmington, Ohio, on Sunday afternoon.
Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, was one of six servicemembers killed earlier in March when a tanker crashed in Iraq.
The airman was working on a refueling mission as part of the 121st Air Refueling Wing in the Ohio Air National Guard.
His body was taken to Columbus, and a motorcade led by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Wilmington Police and other law enforcement and veterans groups brought him home.
Scott Rolf, a Clinton County resident, was there waiting for the motorcade with his family.
“Even though we might not have known him directly, he’s in our community and we really just want to show appreciation and support for the family," Rolf said.
Watch to see the motorcade that brought the fallen airman back to his hometown:
“As humans, we’re supposed to be all about, you know, just loving each other and supporting each other, when things are hard," Rolf said.
Earlier this month, the Angst family said in a statement, "Curtis lived a life defined by service, generosity and a genuine love for people. He was dedicated to serving his country. He deeply valued the people he had the privilege to serve alongside."
A U.S. Air Force biography of Angst says that he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with an aerospace engineering degree before entering the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015, first as a vehicle maintenance technician with the 123rd Air Control Squadron, before he received his KC-135R pilot initial qualification in 2024.
Throughout his tenure as a pilot, Angst deployed in 2015 in support of the Spartan Shield operation in the Middle East, as well as in 2026's Epic Fury operation. He flew a total of 880 flights with 67 combat hours.
In the midst of all the residents coming together to honor the servicemember, Mike and Lorraine Earley stood. The couple told us they are Gold Star Parents and lost their son, Sgt. Steven Conover, while he was serving in Iraq in 2003.
“We’re here to support Capt. Angst and his family," Lorraine said.
The two described their own motorcade for their son as "heart-wrenching."
“They’ll have people say you’ll get over it, they'll never get over it. You’ll go on, but you'll never get over it; it's different," Mike said.
The two watched as the procession went by and made sure to say they were here for the Angst family in any way possible.
"There will probably be hundreds and hundreds of people lining the streets, and it don't hit the same; they don’t understand it like we do. I'm glad they don't," Mike said.
“I know there’s a mother and father, and siblings, and a wife, and I’ve earnestly prayed for all of them. But I've held his mother up in prayer. A mom’s hurt is a different hurt. And if I could say anything to her, is I understand, we’ve walked in their shoes and we just, support them in any way we can," Lorraine said.
The streets were filled with neighbors hoisting flags, saluting and holding their hands over their hearts for the airman who made the ultimate sacrifice.
