The Combat Control community suffered a profound loss with the sudden passing of Senior Master Sergeant Burgess Lee Everson, NCOIC of the Pope Air Force Base Combat Control Team, who died following a combat parachuting operation during an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI).

During the overland insertion onto the Camp Robinson drop zone in Arkansas, SMSgt Everson successfully completed his jump alongside his team before complaining of severe chest pains.

He was rapidly evacuated to the Air Force hospital at Little Rock Air Force Base, where he tragically passed away from an apparent heart attack at the age of 41.

A dedicated leader and seasoned noncommissioned officer, SMSgt Everson devoted his life to mentoring Airmen, upholding the uncompromising standards of the Combat Control functional community, and ensuring his team was prepared for high-stakes operational deployments anywhere in the world.