Air Force Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A. Locht

Remember Our Heroes

Air Force Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A. Locht, 46, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Lt Col. Locht was assigned to 96th Inpatient Operations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; died Nov. 16, 2010 in Houston, Texas, after having been medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan, on May 22 for treatment of a non-combat illness.

Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A Locht, passed away Nov. 16, 2010. Gwen was born on June 5, 1964 at Eglin AFB to Amon O. Andrews and Nellie C. Andrews. Gwen was preceded in death by her father, Amon Andrews, and brothers, Neil Andrews and James Andrews.

She was a 1982 graduate of Choctawhatchee High School and a member of the Indianettes. Gwen received her Bachelor's of Nursing from the University of South Alabama and was a member of the Phi Mu Sorority.

After 5 years of courtship, Gwen married David Locht on Oct. 8, 1988. Gwen worked at the local hospital in Fort Walton Beach before joining the United States Air Force family as a Second Lieutenant. Her first assignment was at Eglin AFB and she was deployed to Operation Desert Storm.

Her next assignment took her to Maxwell AFB, Ala. Gwen took a two-year break from active duty service and become a USAF Reservist in Florida where she had her wonderful son, David Locht Jr. After returning to Active Duty, Gwen was assigned to Patrick AFB, Fla. Her next assignment then sent the family to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska where her beautiful daughter, Danielle, was born. Then it was back to Florida to Hurlburt Field and to Eglin AFB where she was deployed to Afghanistan.

Gwen spent the last few months battling Leukemia which was diagnosed during her deployment in Afghanistan. Her husband of 22 years would like to thank all of the family and friends who helped us battle this disease by taking time to donate blood and all of the loving prayers.

Gwen always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in her face and the gentle roar of the waves all combined to create a sense of peace and calm.

Air Force Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A. Locht died of a non-combat related illness 11/16/10.