WILMINGTON, Ohio — The community of Wilmington is gathering Friday morning for a motorcade honoring one of three soldiers from Ohio killed during a refueling mission in Iraq last month.
A motorcade will escort the body of Air Force Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, through his hometown. The procession is expected to begin at around 9:15 a.m. on North Mulberry Street, traveling south, then east on Main Street and north on South Street.
Angst will be laid to rest at a private ceremony at Dayton National Cemetery.
A celebration of life will follow at Roberts Centre in Wilmington from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Angst was working on a refueling mission as part of the 121st Air Refueling Wing in the Ohio National Guard on March 12 when the refueling tanker aircraft carrying him and five others crashed after an incident involving another aircraft in "friendly" airspace, the U.S. Central Command told the Associated Press.
The other plane landed safely, U.S. military officials said.
Angst's body was returned to Wilmington on Sunday afternoon as neighbors lined the streets hoisting flags, saluting and holding their hands over their hearts.
Earlier this month, the Angst family released a statement, saying, "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."
“He was doing what he loved most — flying and serving alongside the men and women he cared so deeply about,” his family said in a statement posted on Facebook by his wife, Mary.
“Those who knew Curtis remember his steady kindness and the joy he carried with him everywhere he went,” the family said.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
