Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Eagan Air Force captain killed - 7/24/2009� Eagan Air Force captain killed
Capt. Thomas J. Gramith's fighter
jet crashed in Afghanistan �
by Erin Johnson McDowell were providing support to
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS ground troops as part of Operation En -
An Eagan airman was killed when his during Freedom, according to a spokes -
fighter jet crashed in Afghanistan on person at the base. 1—tJuly 17. The crash is under investigation
Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, was pi- military officials said they do not believe
loting an Air Force F -15E Strike Eagle the crash was caused by enemy fire, de -
when it crashed near Ghazni Province scribing it as a "non -hostile" crash.
in eastern Afghanistan around 3:15 a.m. According to published reports,
Kabul time. Gramith attended St. Thomas Acad-
Gramith's fellow airman, Capt. Mark emy in Mendota Heights and went on
R. McDowell of Colorado Springs, to graduate from North Dakota State
Colo., was also killed in the crash. University with a degree in aeronautical
Both were assigned to the 336th engineering in 2005.
Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson
Air Force Base in North Carolina. Erin Johnson is at eagan. thisiveek@ecm-
At the time of the crash, Gramith and inc. com.