As previously noted, Captain George Bryan Houghton, a 2002 USAF Academy graduate, was killed in an F-16 crash in Utah.  He was reportedly flying in a four-ship night close air support (CAS) training mission at the time, and he crashed during an attack run.  Night attacks in a CAS scenario can potentially be some of the most challenging–and dangerous–that an F-16 pilot flies.  According to one news report, his unit was preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

Houghton’s family has a military tradition.  One younger brother was injured in an Afghanistan helicopter incident; another is currently at the Air Force Academy.

Houghton’s father said his son “had such a sense of duty to God and county” – and to his two brothers. “If you fought one, you fought them all.”

Houghton “knew it was a dangerous profession he was in. We all did,” his father said.