A small, quiet hallway filled with the camouflage of Airmen standing shoulder to shoulder, the soft shuffle of boots against old carpet and the humming of fluorescent light. Their heads are bowed, eyes low, in silence and in thought. Flanking a gold shield streaked with a black line, 16 faces peer back through paned glass—frozen in time but carried forward in memory.
On Nov. 19, 2025, the Office of Special Investigations at held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly installed memorial wall at Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, honoring 16 special agents and honorary agents who lost their lives in service to the United States.
Members of the 911th Security Forces Squadron were invited to attend, recognizing their close bond with OSI. “It's something beautiful,” said Col. Helen Stewart, AFOSI 1st Field Investigations Region commander. “How we honor and how we never forget. There's something special between OSI and Security Forces teams in the way we serve and the way our missions crossover. Both when we deploy together and in garrison. This is just one way we ensure that we never forget the ones we’ve lost.”
The ceremony was small, humble, but powerful. OSI agents shared memories of their fallen brothers and sisters-in-arms. Special Agent Jon Twitchell, assigned to the 10th Field Investigation Squadron, reflected on his time with Special Agent Chester McBride, recalling how they trained together at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in 2012.
As he spoke, Twitchell rested a hand on the black metal memorial bracelet he keeps with him—McBride’s name etched into the steel—a daily reminder of the friend he lost and the standard he still strives to honor. McBride, who served as a Security Forces specialist beginning in 2007, completed more than 120 combat operations before transitioning into OSI. In 2015, McBride deployed to Expeditionary Detachment 2405 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was among six service members killed in a suicide bombing on Dec. 21, 2015, when an explosive-laden motorcycle detonated near his team.
According to agents who served with him, McBride absorbed the brunt of the blast, shielding his linguist and saving her life. For his heroism, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.
OSI officials noted that the legacy of remembrance stretches back decades. In 1998, AFOSI—then headquartered at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.—directed the creation of its first memorial, displayed at the United States Air Force Special Investigations Academy at Andrews AFB, Maryland, dedicated to fallen agents who gave their lives in the line of duty. That memorial later moved with the command to Quantico, Virginia, where their names are preserved today.
Click here for a full list of Fallen Special Agents.