Thu, Aug 28 2008
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Published August 07, 2008 03:46 pm - Maj. Brent Williams, a former Norman resident, was a family man, caring friend and excellent U.S. Air Force officer,friends and colleagues said at his funeral this morning. Williams, 37, died July 21 when the B-52 he was riding in crashed off the coast of Guam during a training exercise, killing all six airmen inside. "He was an extraordinary leader and an extraordinary person," Lt. Col. Patrick Matthews said at the funeral at First Baptist Church of Blanchard. Matthews was Williams' commanding officer and friend. Williams was born Nov. 22, 1970, in Opelousas, La., to Sharon Ann and Edward Dale Williams. He graduated from Norman High School in 1989. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he joined the Air Force. NEW: Maj. Brent Williams honored in Blanchard funeral Julianna Parker The Norman Transcript BLANCHARD - Maj. Brent Williams, a former Norman resident, was a family man, caring friend and excellent U.S. Air Force officer,friends and colleagues said at his funeral this morning.
Williams, 37, died July 21 when the B-52 he was riding in crashed off the coast of Guam during a training exercise, killing all six airmen inside. "He was an extraordinary leader and an extraordinary person," Lt. Col. Patrick Matthews said at the funeral at First Baptist Church of Blanchard. Matthews was Williams' commanding officer and friend. Williams was born Nov. 22, 1970, in Opelousas, La., to Sharon Ann and Edward Dale Williams. He graduated from Norman High School in 1989. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he joined the Air Force. ROTC, graduating in 1994 with a degree in management information systems. He was commissioned second lieutenant and went on to a "rich and diverse" 14-year career with the Air Force, Matthews said. Williams was an instructor navigator in the Air Force. He is survived by his son, Border Williams; daughter Brooke Williams; mother Sharon Ann Williams of Midwest City; sister Wendy Eliopolo and her husband Lt. Col. John Eliopolo of Mt. Holly, N.J.; and grandparents Rufus and Margaret Staggs of Midwest City. He was preceded in death by his father Edward Williams, who died at age 47. Matthews told the audience at the funeral about Williams' career, forming a picture of a young man who excelled at any post to which he was appointed. Williams was in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. "He was an integral part of the Secretary of Defense's immediate action team," Matthews said. Matthews read from the evaluations written by Williams' commanding officers over the years. "Calm and cool under pressure," "Top 5 percent of all the officers I know" and "He made his mark wherever he went" were only a few of the accolades. "He was destined for great things in the Air Force, and he left us a 
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