Hickam airman killed in shooting accident

The Delaware man, 22, worked at a prison camp in southern Iraq

The Air Force is investigating a shooting accident which has taken the life of a Hickam Air Force Base security forces specialist working at a prisoner internment camp in southern Iraq.

Airman 1st Class Carl Jerome Ware, 22, a security forces specialist with Hickam's 15th Airlift Wing was killed Saturday at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq.

He was assigned to the 886th Expeditionary Security Force Squadron.

Camp Bucca is the largest prisoner internment camp in Iraq. The Air Force has provided security there for the past 1 1/2 years.

There were few details about the shooting except that the Air Force said it was non-combat related.

At Hickam, Col. John Torres, commander of the 15th said: "Right now, our efforts are focused on providing his family, squadron and friends the support and assistance they need.

"We lost a valuable member of the Hickam Air Force Base team and our Air Force family. Airman Ware will be missed, but his dedication and sacrifice will never be forgotten."

Ware is the first Hickam-based airman to die in Iraq.

He is from Smyrna, Del., and graduated from Smyrna High School in 2002. He is survived by a wife and a young daughter, according to the Air Force.

His body will be taken to McGuire Air Force Base in Hanover Township, N.J., base officials said.

Since March 2003, 89 military personnel with ties to Hawaii have been killed in Iraq.

In Afghanistan, there have been 31 deaths with Hawaii ties.