Ken "Jughead" Koontz Family Memorial Fund
 

Ken Koontz (a.k.a. Jughead) was a NAS Corpus VT-27 IP from the late 90s and early 2000s. He transitioned to the USAF and was an IP out at Laughlin AFB. I flew with him as an IUT in my first IP tour. That group of Boomer IPs is very tight to this day. Some on this board may remember him.

Sadly, he was killed along with his wife and two daughters. His son, the youngest, is the only survivor of Saturday night's crash. Yet another DUI car crash where the drunk walks away. This time it was an 18 wheeler vs an Expedition.

Tailwinds brother...may God watch over your son.

Family killed in wrong-way crash - San Antonio Express-News

Condolences to the families and friends affected. I never met “Jughead” but walked the same Naval Aviation path. God bless him and his family.

This is horrible. RIP. Fair Winds & Following Seas.

Such a tragedy.
What is a "Boomer IP"?

The 96fts family is very afflicted with the early departure of our dear friend and brother Jughead. The accident was a senseless tragedy that cut short so much potential in two young ladies alongside their parents. He was a great IP, respected by his peers and students alike. He was a committed family man and a great Reservist. It is great to hear that our brothers in arms in the NAVY family also regard him with fond memories and admiration.

We also pray for his son to pick up the pieces and carry on the legacy of his family as he recovers from what admittedly is a life changing loss. We have many members of our unit that were neighbors and close friends of Jughead and are sure to keep up with his surviving son's progress as he embarks on this unfortunate and tasking new chapter of his young life.

As to the man that took so much away from this world, I simply have nothing enduring to say. I am of the personal philosophy that we are ultimately judged as men and as legacies, in terms of how much of ourselves we give the world in comparison to what we take. The contributions of Jughead to our world are self evident. The amount of selflessness required of the man who took so much from us is so great I believe it only to be in Gods mercy that we could attain parity, for there is no amount of human penitence this man could give back in his lifetime to make us whole for what he has already taken. I choose to celebrate the legacy of our brother Jughead.

You will be missed brother. Tailwinds always.

To be sure, you mean the person posts on here under the username "Jughead", or a military pilot whose call sign happened to be Jughead?

VT-27 Squadron radio call sign is Boomer. It was Ken's first squadron as a USN Primary IP.

Clarification: his call sign was Jughead...no relation to user Jughead. Sorry for the confusion.

Hindsight...please keep me posted if y'all get any info on services, memorials, etc. I will do my best to relay info as well.

Fair winds and following seas to a brother Boomer.
I was of a different time than Jughead but that doesn't change the admiration based on what I'm reading on these boards. Senseless.

My sincerest condolences to his family, his friends and everyone that ever came in contact with him. As military members, we put our lives in harm's way to protect our loved ones and our fellow countrymen, but to lose one's life in a senseless act, and nearly the entire family is unbearable.
I did not know Jughead, but I know plenty who do, and to a man, they say he was a stand-up guy, a great family man and a great American. We are all a little poorer today.
God speed my brother.

Very sad.... He was stationed at Laughlin or had taught there before?

I flew one of my two T-6 low levels with him not even 8 months ago. Great IP.... clear skies and tailwinds.

RIP, your signal is charlie, clear skies..........

What a damned shame.

Hug your family.

Blue skies, brother!

I have not met a better man nor a better pilot. He taught me me to fly the T34 when I was becoming an instructor pilot (IP) with the VT27 Boomers. We have the watch.

KOONTZ MEMORIAL FUND


A fund has been established for family expenses and Zack Koontz at The Bank & Trust, PO Box 385, Brackettville, TX, 78832. Please make checks out to the Bank & Trust Koontz Memorial Fund. Specify account #3540332 in the memo line. Thank you...

Good dude, awesome family man. Subject on this forum a bit cryptic.

Concur...

Mods: Request you change the name of this thread to "Ken Koontz family memorial" or the like.

Greetings to you all...

I recently retired from the Active Duty Air Force as a T-6 Instructor Pilot at Laughlin AFB, TX. In that place, it was my honor to serve with Lt Col Ken Koontz, who was a T-6 IP in our reserve squadron, the 96th Flying Training Squadron. As a pilot, instructor, and officer, Ken was one of the best I have ever known. He was always calm and affable...I never knew him to have a bad day or a harsh word for anyone. As a man, husband and father, he was absolutely without equal. My wife was good friends with Melissa, and my children had played with theirs. If you painted a picture postcard of the ideal family, they would look like the Koontz'.

Like all who knew them, we are deeply saddened by the loss of four incredible people who made or would make in the future the world around us better for their being a part of it. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their surviving son, a young man who will have to grow up all to early and face the rest of his life without the love and laughter of his family around him.

To the Boomers and the Jackrabbits, our deepest condolences.

Tailwinds...

Family reception 3-5pm Bracketville TX civic center Sunday. Funeral for Jughead and victims on Monday 10am same location. Please pm me if you have any questions.

The Koontz family has requested widest dissemination of the following information:

- A fund has been established for family expenses and Zach Koontz's care at The Bank & Trust, PO Box 385, Brackettville, TX, 78832. Please make checks out to the Bank & Trust Koontz Memorial Fund. Specify account #3540332 in the memo line.

- The family will welcome visitors on Sunday, 21 Apr 2013, from 1500-1700 at the Civic Center in Brackettville. The memorial will be on Monday, 22 Apr 2013 at 1000. Location TBD. A graveside service will follow for immediate family only.

- Digital copies of photos of the family have been requested to be included in a slideshow for the services. Please forward photos to Maj Jerry Reynolds, [email protected]

- To protect Zach's privacy, the family has requested that photos of Zach not be posted on any social media websites.

Laughlin officer killed in vehicle accident

47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

4/15/2013 - LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- An Air Force reserve instructor pilot and civilian employee was killed along with his wife and two daughters near San Antonio, Texas, April 13.

Lt. Col. Kenneth Koontz, a civilian simulator instructor and member of the 96th Flying Training Squadron was killed in a traffic accident on U.S. Route 90.

"Lt. Col. Kenneth 'Jughead' Koontz was one of the most seasoned T-6 instructor pilots at Laughlin," said Lt. Col. Sean Garrett, 96th FTS commander. "He was a valued and trusted leader within the 96th FTS and he was loved by the students, having recently been named the 'Best Guest Help IP' by Class 13-15."

Each pilot training class has instructor pilots who do not fly with them on a day-to-day basis, but do fly with them regularly. These instructor pilots are known informally as 'Guest Help IPs' and each class picks their favorite, as well as favorite simulator instructor. Koontz had been picked a number of times for these awards.

While Lt. Col. Koontz loved teaching students how to fly, it wasn't his top priority, explained Garrett.

"Jughead was a man of strong faith, and spending time with his family was always his priority. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him," said Garrett.

Before joining the Air Force Reserve, Koontz was in the Navy for 15 years. He became an Air Force reservist in 2006.

Many of the training flights for April 15 were curtailed as students and squadron members dealt with their grief.

"Our priorities right now are to help this family any way we can and to ensure our team is mentally ready to resume flight training," said Col. Tom Murphy, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "Lt. Col. Koontz was a civilian employee and a Reserve lieutenant colonel, exemplifying what an Airman is all about, and he established a very high standard of excellence along the way. He and his family were deeply ingrained into the Laughlin, Brackettville and Del Rio communities. This is a tragedy and they will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Koontz family and friends."

Koontz flew 894 sorties equaling 5,656.5 flight hours during his career; 4,456 of those hours were in the Navy and 1,200 hours in the Air Force. He also had 2,036 hours in a simulator.

"That means he probably worked with 1,800 students in the SIMs alone," said Mr. Danny Williams, Director of Sims and Academics.

"The number of students Lt. Col. Koontz has worked with and helped shape into remarkable pilots is a testament to his skills and talents," said Murphy. "He helped us graduate the world's best pilots. That is a fact!"

Thanks to all of the Navy brothers that made the trek out to lay our friends to rest. What a showing. Just goes to show how much Jughead and his family meant to us all. Fair winds and following seas Koontz family. We'll watch after Zach for you.

Drunk Driver who killed Jughead gets 57 years
 

Drunk driver who killed family of four gets 57 years

It won't bring them back, but this guy won't be able to do this again. At 61 years of age, he must serve half of the 57 year sentence before being eligible for parole. That will make him 86 before his first parole hearing.

57 years is not nearly enough for what he did. It should be 57 x 4 to be served back-to-back.

Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I do however, agree with you. How do we stop this madness known as drunk driving? For one, it is NOT a disease. We have the GIFT of free-will; that SOB chose to dump a fifth of scotch down his throat and get BTW. A disease? Cancer is a disease. MURDER is not!
Anyone CONVICTED of DUI should have an OBVIOUS licence plate that identities such.