F-15E stenciled with 1st Lt. Kenneth "Kage" Allen’s name honors fallen Lakenheath F-15C pilot and remembers him and his family’s sacrifice

F-15E stenciled with 1st Lt. Kenneth “Kage” Allen’s name honors fallen Lakenheath F-15C pilot and remembers him and his family’s sacrifice

By Dario Leone
Jun 19 2020
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Allen was piloting an F-15C Eagle during a training mission when his plane crashed into the North Sea on Jun. 15, 2020.

An F-15E which had just completed its Programmed Depot Maintenance and is slated to return to Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, United Kingdom, has been stenciled with 1st Lt. Kenneth “Kage” Allen by the 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 558th AMXS paint team, both with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia, that collaborated to stencil Allen’s name on one of three F-15 aircraft after they learned of the tragic loss of 48th Fighter Wing pilot.

Allen was piloting an F-15C Eagle during a training mission when his plane crashed into the North Sea on Jun. 15, 2020.

“We wanted to honor 1st Lt. Allen by placing his name on the side of the F-15E that is about to depart to RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom,” said Todd Cross 561st AMXS P-Flight deputy, to Joseph Mather, Robins Public Affairs, for the article Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex honors fallen USAF pilot from RAF Lakenheath.

Months earlier the maintenance team lost one of their valued members.

F-15E stenciled with 1st Lt. Kenneth "Kage" Allen’s name honors fallen Lakenheath F-15C pilot and remembers him and his family’s sacrifice
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – The 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 558th AMXS paint team, both with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, collaborate June 17, 2020, to stencil the name of 48th Fighter Wing pilot 1st Lt. Kenneth “Kage” Allen on one of three F-15 aircraft that just completed its Programmed Depot Maintenance and is slated to return to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. Allen was piloting an F-15C Eagle during a training mission when his plane crashed into the North Sea June 15. (courtesy photo)

“We had placed the name of Mr. Kenneth Walker, one of our coworkers that had recently passed away, on one of the Lakenheath F-15’s and flew a flag for his family in his honor some months earlier,” said Cross.

The maintenance teams wanted to honor Allen by stenciling his name on an F-15E to remember him and his family’s sacrifice.

“Our team felt like it was the right thing to do by honoring Lt. Allen the same way we had done with Mr. Walker,” said Cross. “Our thought was that they would feel the same way we did when seeing his name, as we did when we saw Mr. Walker’s.”

Jim Kelly, 561st AMXS director, agreed with his team’s plan.

“This is our way of honoring a fallen warrior and sharing our grief and well wishes with our warfighting teammates at Lakenheath,” he said.

F-15E print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-15E Strike Eagle 366th Fighter Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, MO/90-0249 – Mountain Home AFB, ID – 2008

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force


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Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

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