Fallen OSI SA honored with building dedication, memorial pillar

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Denise Jenson
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

Family, friends and leaders of the Ellsworth Air Force Base and Rapid City, S.D., communities gathered to honor the life of a fallen Airman with a building dedication Oct. 21.

 

The ceremony, held in honor of Special Agent Peter Taub, took place in front of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 816 building, where it was officially renamed the Taub Building.

 

Taub, a member of Det. 816, died from wounds suffered during an attack by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 21, 2015. His service, commitment and love of life were remembered during the event.

 

Special Agent Christopher Joers, commander of Det. 816, provided remarks during the ceremony, remembering the enthusiasm with which Taub led his life and explaining the significance of the dedication to the unit.

 

“’It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us,’” Joers recited, quoting President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. “That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.’”

 

The OSI building is the official work center for special agents assigned to Det. 816 at Ellsworth. AFOSI is a federal law enforcement investigative agency focused on identifying, exploiting and neutralizing criminal, terrorist and intelligence threats to the Air Force, Department of Defense and U.S. government.

 

In addition to the building dedication, an engraved memorial was placed in Memorial Park near the base lakes, where a private ceremony was held to reveal it to Taub’s family. The engraving was donated to the base by the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce in honor of the special agent’s sacrifice.

 

“[We] are deeply honored to play a small part in recognizing Special Agent Taub,” said Lynn Kendall, vice president of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce. “The Rapid City Chamber and Military Affairs Committee is a proud supporter of our military men and women. We are humbled to be able to honor one of our Airmen who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

 

Taub enlisted in the Air Force in 2007. After completing Basic Military Training and technical training, he was assigned to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, as an F-15 Eagle load crew team member.

 

He joined team Ellsworth in July 2011, assigned to the base as a B-1 bomber load crew team member. In 2013, Taub retrained into the AFOSI and became a member of Det. 816, and then deployed.

 

The event, attended by Taub’s wife Christina and father Joel, concluded with the official unveiling of a plaque and new lettering on the building.

 

“All those that walk through these doors will be reminded of Pete’s great service, and his contribution to the safety and security of our community and our country,” Joers said.