BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) ---It was a somber morning at Bangor International Airport on Friday as the body of a soldier from Maine who died in Kuwait last week, was returned to the state.
Army Staff Sgt. Jessica Wing of Glenburn was killed in a non-combat related incident on August 27, 2012. On Friday many who knew her were on hand at the Maine Army National Guard Base in Bangor to pay their respects.
Staff Sergeant Wing spent roughly half of her life in uniform with the U.S. Army and later the National Guard. Her last deployment came with the Maine Army National Guard in May when she was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Wing's body arrived in Bangor after 10 a.m. Friday. From there a motorcade carried her to Augusta where she will be laid to rest on Saturday.
Sergeant Wing spent a decorated career repairing helicopters for the military. She joined the Maine Army National Guard in 2004. From there she deployed to Iraq in 2005 and again in 2008. Friends say Wing did her job knowing the helicopters she fixed would help get troops out of harm's way and she always strove for excellence in her work.
"Medevac was very important to her...aviation was very important to her," said Staff Sgt. Sean Miller, who worked with Miller since 2004, "she strove to make sure that everyone around here was trained and equipped as well as they could be."
The U.S. Army has yet to release the cause of Jessica Wing's death as officials say the incident is still under investigation.
Visiting hours for people to pay their respects on Saturday will be held at the Augusta Armory in Augusta beginning at 1 p.m. The funeral service for Sgt. Wing will follow at the Armory at 2 p.m. A military committal service will then be held at the Maine Veterans Cemetary.
NEWS CENTER