Team Yokota mourns the loss of one of its own

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christopher Love
  • 374 AW/PA
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Family, friends and fellow Airmen will gather on Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Main Chapel, to remember Staff Sgt. Raymond Allen Briggs, who was killed Dec. 1, by a vehicle while crossing a highway, in San Mateo County, Calif.

The ceremony, which will begin at 10:00 a.m., will be preceded by a public viewing at 9:30 am. Military members should wear Service Dress, Class A or an equivalent uniform.

A native of Columbus Ohio, Sergeant Briggs began his career in the Army, in 1993. After a number of years in the Ohio Army Nation Guard, Sergeant Briggs entered the Active Duty Air Force in 2001 as a Heating, Refrigeration and Ventilation Technician, at the 355th Civil Engineer Squadron, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Upon arriving at Yokota in 2007, he served on a special duty assignment as a Defense Courier.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Gallo, who regarded Sergeant Briggs not only as a peer and co-worker, but also as his best friend in the Defense Courier Station, says he was a provider who always put his family ahead of himself.

In light of that fact and in honor of their fellow Airman, members of the DCS created the "SSgt. Briggs Scholarship Fund," to help support his children in their future academic endeavors.

Sergeant Briggs also invested time and energy in the lives of Yokota's youth, serving as a coach for soccer and volleyball teams, including a volleyball team called the "Pink Panthers."

"Sergeant Briggs impacted a lot of lives here," said Chief Master Sgt. Cozenja Berry, Chief of Defense Courier Station-Yokota. As such, she says the scholarship a great opportunity to give back, for the time he invested for the children of Yokota.

Those who wish to make a donation can do so in a number of ways. Checks should be made payable to the "Briggs Scholarship Fund" and can be brought directly to Community Bank or given, in person or by mail, to Sergeant Gallo.

Donors can contact Sergeant Gallo by e-mail at anthony.gallo@yokota.af.mil, by phone at DSN 315-225-9707, or by mail at:
Briggs Scholarship Fund/Anthony Gallo
PSC 78 Box 4158
APO AP 96326