MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala -- Maxwell held a special auditorium-naming ceremony at the 42nd Air Base Wing headquarters building, Dec. 21, 2016.
The auditorium was renamed honoring Special Agent (Staff Sgt.) Chester J. McBride.
Additionally, the ceremony will commemorate the 1-year anniversary of Special Agent Chester J. McBride's passing. Before he died, McBride had been assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base where he was a member of the Office of Special Investigation.
“It is my honor to pay tribute to an exceptional Airman, Special Agent McBride,” said Col. Eric Shafa, commander, 42nd Air Base Wing, at the ceremony. “He is an American Airman, a warrior and he answered his nation’s call.”
In the overflowing room full of those honoring McBride, Shafa referenced John 15:13 saying he thought of McBride when reading, “Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends.”
McBride was killed on Dec. 21, 2015, while part of a dismounted patrol conducting a counterintelligence mission outside Bagram Airfield. A motorcyclist detonated an explosive device hidden in the internal components of the vehicle, killing six and wounding others. During the attack, McBride shielded with his body the linguist accompanying the team, which ultimately saved her life. While McBride was already a highly decorated Airman, the Air Force posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal with valor device, the Purple Heart, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal for the heroism he displayed during the attack that claimed his life.
“His life and death exemplifies his character,” Shafa said. “This auditorium will forever symbolize service before self and excellence in all we do, just as Special Agent McBride did.”
For more information on McBride, view his story here: http://www.maxwell.af.mil/News/Features/Display/tabid/3260/Article/704626/chester-mcbride-a-true-wingman.aspx.