ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- Mr. John “Crusher” Moyes, 28th Bomb Wing historian, began planning a commemoration for the events of September 11, 2001, dubbed the Raider Heritage Rally July of 2021.
Similar to the Doolittle Raiders of Pearl Harbor, Ellsworth Airmen took the fight to the enemy after the attacks, said Moyes. The first strike launched October 7, 2001, and subsequently a rotation of B-1B Lancers brought “Raider” airpower into Afghanistan, hitting Al Qaeda targets.
In remembrance of these first strikes, the Raider Heritage Rally was held on October 8, 2021.
The experiences submitted to Moyes were shared at the Rally and attached to a large display meant to embody what New York looked like after the attacks.
“I wanted to give the effect of what it may have been like walking through New York post 9/11 [with] the missing persons posters,” said Moyes.
Moyes was later awarded the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Heritage Award in June 2022 for his contribution to the Raider Heritage Rally and other events dedicated to educating others on 28th BW history.
“I crafted a survey asking what went through people’s minds after 9/11,” said Moyes. “I sent it to the base, to friends. I sent it to other people, military and nonmilitary. I grabbed those stories and started putting them together, and what started off as a 16-page PowerPoint turned into 90 plus pages of all these accounts.”
During the process of producing what was needed for the commemoration, Moyes said his brother fell ill and subsequently passed away. He was absent from work for roughly two weeks in order to help situate everything after his brothers passing.
Moyes said people wondered what he was doing back so soon, but he felt he had a job to complete and that his brother would expect him to finish his mission.
“I had looped him in on the project early on,” Moyes said. “He was jazzed about it and loved the updates; he would have wanted me to get back to the team and see this through.”
Moyes dove back into his work emphasizing Ellsworth’s impact on historical events such as 9/11 and the Doolittle Raid and tying the actions of Airman during these times to what it means to be a “Raider”.
Mr. Donald Koser, AFGSC History and Heritage Program director, said the AFGSC Heritage Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments that foster a better understanding of the U.S. Air Force and its history.
The work Moyes put into his product and the outcome of it made him the obvious choice for the Heritage Award, said Koser.
“I didn’t do it for an award, I did it because I thought it would be a good way to showcase what was on people’s minds during 9/11,” said Moyes. “I think that’s what the boss wanted, in addition to highlighting what the wing did in response to the attacks.”