The community of New Castle came together to raise the funds to build a memorial to their honored son, Capt. William H. "PYRO" DuBois, who was killed in the Middle East in Operation Inherent Resolve (Syria and surrounding area).
The plaque reads:
[Color photo of Capt. DuBois]
In Memory Of
Captain William H. "Pyro" DuBois Jr.
August 14, 1984 - December 1, 2014
Capt. Will "PYRO DuBois lost his life 12/1/2014 in the Middle East while flying
in support of Operation Inherent Resolve when his F-16 crashed in the desert
after making sure his wingman had landed safely. He died as he lived, helping
others!
Born and raised in New Castle, Colorado, William H. DuBois Jr. joined the
USAF in 2008 after graduating with honors including Distinguished Graduate
from the CU Boulder ROTC detachment. Upon completion of the elite pilot
training program, ENJEPT, he was sent to Luke AFB to fly the mighty "Viper"
F-16 earning two Top Gun awards along the way.
He was assigned the call sign "PYRO" while stationed in Korea flying with the
35th "Paton" squadron patrolling the DMZ. In 2013, Will transferred to the
77th "Gamblers" F-16 squadron, where he achieved instructor pilot status
and became a combat flight lead before deploying to the Middle East in 2014.
"Anything in life worth doing, is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards."
~PYRO~
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"William “Pyro” DuBois, Jr. Memorial Statue
A memorial Statue by sculptor John Kobald was unveiled in New Castle’s, Grand River Park, on September 10th, 2016. Captain DuBois, a lifetime, 30-year-old resident of New Castle, was killed in action December 1st, 2014 while on active duty with the 77th Fighter Squadron. He was a graduate of Rifle High School and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He trained with the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base and received F-16 training at Luke Air Force Base. He was twice named the top fighter pilot in his class and earned two top gun awards. He had been stationed at Kunsan, Korea and Shaw Air Force Base before joining Operation Inherent Resolve, where his plane crashed while returning to base to assist his wing man with a mechanical problem." (from (
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"Air Force Capt. William H. Dubois
Died December 1, 2014 Serving During Operation Inherent Resolve
30, of New Castle, Colo., died Dec. 1 when his F-16 aircraft crashed near a coalition air base in the Middle East. He was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
Air Force identifies pilot killed in Middle East crash
By Brian Everstine, Staff Writer
The Air Force has identified Capt. William Dubois as the F-16 pilot killed earlier this week in a crash in the Middle East.
Dubois, 30, died when his aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff while heading out on a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military's battle against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.
Dubois, of New Castle, Colorado, was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
The F-16 crashed about 11 p.m. Sunday at an unnamed base in the region. U.S. Central Command would not say if the jet was headed to Iraq or Syria. While the F-16 was on a combat mission, the pilot encountered a problem and crashed in a "non combat related incident."
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The mishap is the second fatal F-16 crash of a 77th Fighter Squadron pilot on a combat mission in the past two years. On April 2, 2013, Capt. James Steel was killed when his jet crashed into a mountain near Bagram Field in Afghanistan following a close air support mission.
U.S. and coalition jets have ramped up their fight against IS targets and conducted 28 airstrikes between Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 in both Iraq and Syria using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft." (from (
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Also see (
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Waymark WMXRFN (
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