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By Aida Ahmed 
Friday, July 1, 2011 | 12:20 p.m.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Eric Ziegler poses for a photo during one of his three combat deployments.
Sun Archives
Nellis Air Force Base will host a private memorial service next week for Capt. Eric Ziegler, the pilot who died earlier this week after his F-16C Fighting Falcon jet crashed near Caliente.
"Eric was a man of character and faith who deeply loved his family as well as flying," Ziegler's family said in a statement Friday released through Nellis. "His sense of humor, spontaneity, faith, zest for life, love of family and country are the hallmarks of his personality. He was a true son of the United States."
Ziegler, 30, an operational test and evaluation instructor pilot with the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis, logged more than 1,200 flight hours in Korea, Germany and the United States. A native of West Fargo, N.D., Ziegler was a 1999 graduate of West Fargo High School. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2003 and earned a master’s degree in 2010.
He received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and an Aerial Achievement Medal. He also had recently been selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis officials said.
The U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon he was flying crashed west of Caliente in a combat training exercise on Tuesday.
On Thursday, U.S. Air Force officials said they found conclusive evidence that he did not survive the crash. The Air Force has opened an investigation into the accident.
Yes I'm sad for the pilot's family. But I happen to live close to the Nellis runway. My house is sandwiched between the base and Frenchman mountain. I feel that all of the pilots like to push too hard on the throttle during take off and they are directly over my roof. I work 12 hours shifts and I need to go to sleep in the day time at around 5pm and those military jets keep me up. If I don't get any sleep I can't work. If I can't work I won't be able to pay the bills and survive. Surely there is something the AFB can do about this. The local government should have NEVER let the nearby homes be built. It should have been land set aside for horse ranches and agriculture.
The pilots should only take off heading North East and NOT South West where all the homes are.
Dear Avitech...at one time, the area you are speaking about WAS just horse ranches and acres of empty land. However, the land was not government owned but owned by investors who saw the opportunity to make profits during our housing boom. That is the same reason why you'll see homes surrounding pig farms, orchards, washes, etc. I wish you'd spent a day in a park near where you bought before you bought so you'd have an idea of what you were getting into. That being said, have you and your neighbors considered sending letters to the good people out at Nellis? You just never know!
Yep, Avitech...it's all about YOU buddy.
Buy a pair of earplugs.
As for the proximity of the houses to the base, you have yourself to blame for that decision unless you are a child that was forced to live there due to your parents buying a home there (and from what I read, you are supposedly a grown man).
For using this particular story to vent your spleen- you deserve to be flamed here.
Avitech, you say "I work 12 hours shifts and I need to go to sleep in the day time at around 5pm and those military jets keep me up. If I don't get any sleep I can't work. If I can't work I won't be able to pay the bills and survive."
Here's the kicker, if you don't have the pilots training, they can't be effective at defending your right to criticize those same pilots, your right to sleep where and when you choose and your right to work when and where you choose.
Maybe you should consider what those pilots put on the line EVERY DAY for you to have the freedom that you enjoy so much.
Avitech, the pilots take off on the runway that leads them INTO the prevailing winds. That's why runways are oriented differently depending on where you go. They don't make the decision purely to piss you off, though if they knew you personally and you said your comment to the pilot's faces, I wouldn't be surprised if they intentionally buzzed your kitchen.
No one made you buy your house by an active runway, so don't blame the base for your real estate regret. There has been a runway there since 1929, before it was an Air Force Base and before there was even an Air Force. So unless you bought your house in the fall of 1928, your poor choices shouldn't be fodder for ignorant public complaining.
My thoughts go out to this family. Losing a family member is extremely difficult, and unfortunately, something that every military spouse worries about when their love heads off to work in the morning. I can only imagine how hard it is when a life is lost during a training accident, or malfunction. I sincerely hope they find closure, and that their family can heal after this terrible tragedy.
Avitech, this is not the forum to voice your selfish concerns. My suggestion to you....MOVE!! I hear North Korea or some other communist country have some property available.
Enjoy your freedom, keep complaining but at least do it at the appropriate time and place.
To the family, I am so sorry for your loss. May God give you the strength you need to live the rest of your lives until you are reunited with this brave young man again. God bless, you are on my thoughts and prayers.
Unbelievable that you would choose this story to complain about aircraft noise near your house that YOU picked out and purchased. Nellis has been there a long time, and hopefully it will be there a long time more. Are you so thick that you need the government to tell you where you purchase your home??
RIP Dirk. Thank you for defending our freedom, even if means putting up with jerk bags like "Avitech".
Avitech: When you write your comment and vent about "you" and what our military does to cause problems for you keep in mind THE SOUND OF THOSE JETS IS THE SOUND OF OUR FREEDOM!! I thank God everyday for our military and what they sacrifice for all of us, even those who don't deserve it! I live on the base and my husband has given over 22 years of his life for us! A job where he has missed out on so many milestones with our family. He has fought in war with bombs being shot at him, had to stay up for more than 12 hours a day, dressed in full chem gear while the weather is over 110 degrees! My thoughts and prayers go out the the pilot and his family and I thank you for the ultimate sacrifice that he unfortunately had to pay for our freedom. His dedication and sacrifice will NEVER be forgotten!
Viper, obviously you knew Capt. Ziegler, I am sorry for your loss! I did not know him personally, but my heart is still heavy for him and his family! Words can not express the grief that our Nellis family is feeling!
Avitech - Shame on you for using this particular story to whine and complain about your lack of sleep and what sounds like a poor real estate decision on YOUR part. A mother and father lost their son, a wife lost her husband, and a child and/or children will now grow up without their father. Here's a clue: it's not about YOU.
Here's another clue:I can assure that our military members and their families are not getting a lot of sleep either as our nation has been at war for years. And, I am sure that Capt. Ziegler's family and friends will not be getting a lot of sleep anytime soon either, as all will have a huge hole in their hearts forever as they mourn the loss of a son, husband, father, friend, etc.
Avitech, take the focus off of you. Just say thank you to Capt Ziegler and his family. As a matter of fact, you can thank ALL of our nation's military members that are tirelessly serving and sacrificing (and paying the ultimate sacrifice) to give us the freedoms that we all can enjoy. Next time you want to complain about the jet flying over your home and disturbing you, don't. Just carry on with your day and a thank you to the pilot and the pilot's family will suffice.
From one military family to Capt Ziegler's: We are so very sorry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May God give you the comfort and strength to help heal you during this very difficult time.
Avitech: While I try to understand your circumstances, please understand mine. . . you choose to live where you please. My nephew chose to to live the dream of serving in the Air Force. As an ex-marine I fully understand the necessity of serving God and country. If you do not care for the sounds of jets that are protecting our borders and our way of life, you are free to move. That is the beauty of our country. It is a matter of choice. My nephew was a great young man of courage, committment, and confidence in that what he was doing was for the greater good. May it be said the same for you.