AIr Force Captain Jenna L. Wilcox

A U.S. Air Force officer has died after a tire exploded inside her sports car while she was on holiday in Scotland, police said. Captain Jenna L. Wilcox, 27, who had survived a roadside bomb attack on a recent tour in Afghanistan, was on a break with her husband when the freak accident happened last week.

It is thought the couple had changed the wheel on their BMX Z3 after noticing a bulge in a tire. They replaced it with the space saver tire - designed to get them to a local garage - but could not fit the full size one in the boot because it was full of luggage. Capt Wilcox, of the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, sat with it on her lap inside the car. It is not known what caused it to explode.

She died from her injuries at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, five days after the accident.

Her 27-year-old husband Scott is also a captain in the air force with 48th Civil Engineer Squadron, based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

He suffered minor injuries in the explosion, which happened in Dalkeith, Midlothian, at around 6pm last Saturday.

Yesterday colleagues paid tribute to Capt Wilcox, who had just returned to Britain following a dangerous year-long tour of Afghanistan which saw her awarded a medal for bravery.

The couple, who were both US citizens, had driven to Scotland for a holiday just a week after Jenna wrote a poignant last message on her Internet diary about the couple's safe return from Afghanistan. She wrote on March 21: 'This will be my last entry. Both Scott and I are home, safe and sound and I no longer have a reason to continue with this blog.'

Courage: Jenna Wilcox posted pictures online of her experiences in Afghanistan where she was keen to work with the local communities. Mrs Wilcox, originally from Glenwood in New York state, had been stationed in Britain since 2008. She had started the blog about her time in Afghanistan, she said, 'to share my experiences with family and friends.

'I also wanted to let people know about the military and what we experience in a combat zone. As an Air Force Officer who is not a pilot, it is very unlikely that I will again be in a situation where I am the war fighter.

'I am usually in a support role; my job ensures that planes get off the ground so they can fight the enemy. But this time, I was the one directly fighting the enemy. To the pleasure of my parents, that probably won't happen again.'

Colonel Chad Manske, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander, said: 'We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. 'Jenna was a valued member of our team and her untimely death touches all the personnel at the surrounding bases. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time.'

A police spokesman said: 'Inquiries are ongoing to establish the cause of explosion, however this would appear to have been a tragic accident. 'A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in due course.'

Mrs Wilcox revealed on the blog how she had been awarded a bravery medal for her actions when the convoy she was travelling on was hit by a road-side bomb, or IED. She wrote: 'At a recent awards ceremony all three engineers on the team, including myself, earned an Army Combat Action Badge. 'The ceremony was strange in the fact that people were congratulating me for getting blown up.

'In the military we train and prepare ourselves for combat. So getting blown up or shot at is what we want to do, what we hope to do, what we should do.

'It shows that we are mentally and physically tough to endure such an event and prevail. We are brave and courageous in perilous situations.

'I was on a convoy that was hit with an IED. It happened in early November and we were on the way back from the mission when one of our trucks took a baby IED.

'I think my heart literally stopped and the next two minutes were the scariest of my life. I kept on waiting for the secondary attack, but thankfully it never came.

'Luckily, everyone was okay, no injuries, and we only had to replace the tire on the truck.

'But I know that Scott and I are being protected. Too many uncanny things have happened for me not to know that we will be okay.'

Capt. Wilcox was a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, served in Afghanistan, where she served as Chief Engineer for a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Jenna received the U.S. Military Bronze Star and U.S. Army Combat Action Badge for her endeavors. Her cremains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with U.S. Air Force Military Honors.

Capt. Jenna L., USAF (nee Sielski) April 1, 2010; beloved wife of Capt. Scott Wilcox, USAF; dearest daughter of Cynthia (nee Gleason) and Peter Sielski; loving granddaughter of Rosalie Gleason and the late Jeanette Sielski; dearest cousin of Capt. Brad Tibbetts, Jeff Jachter and Justin Vitello; loving niece of Kathy (Howard) Jachter, Margaret Rose (Robert Harris), Katherine (Michael) Kayes, Liz Carroll and Ann Frazier. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.