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Photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Hastings

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cameron Stewart, left, Air Force Special Operations Command administrator, sits on the loading ramp of an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, over Tampa, Florida, Sept. 1. Stewart flew with the ashes of his grandfather who was an Air Force C-130 crew chief during the Vietnam War era.

“Flying with my father on the aircraft my grandfather worked on during his tenure in the Air Force was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m thankful I got to be a part of it,” said Cameron Stewart. “As an administrator, most of what you see is on a computer screen. Knowing my grandfather got to experience all he did in the military inspires me to want to pursue more and to be more.”

After the flight, family and friends of Bugsy gathered outside of the MARCENT headquarters building for a memorial ceremony honoring the late C-130 crew chief. Cameron Stewart and Stormy Stewart, Bugsy’s surviving grandchildren, were presented with a folded flag at the ceremony symbolizing their grandfather’s faithful service and the passing of the torch. The memorial concluded with words from Jason Stewart.

“My father’s story is a story about service and the indomitable spirit of the American people,” said Jason Stewart. “He wasn’t a general. He wasn’t a chief master sergeant. There was never going to be a Bugsy Air Force Base, but that’s not what matters. His story reflects generations of young Americans, who time and time again, raise their right hand and swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States when their nation calls and are all willing to give the last full measure of devotion to fulfilling that endeavor. The ones who come back are proud and humbled by their service, and they raise families, they become leaders in their communities, they work hard and they go to their graves knowing they made a difference. That’s what it’s really about.”