An Iowan who died in a United States Air Force B-52 bomber crash at Edwards Air Force Base in June is returning to Iowa to be laid to rest.
Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, a pilot with the 419th Flight Test Squadron of the United States Air Force, was identified as one of the eight victims of the June 15 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in California, in which a United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress “crashed and burst into flames” shortly after takeoff.
The remains of Hovey and the other victims were transported to Dover Air Force Base for identification and burial preparation on June 19.
A public visitation for Hovey will be held on Thursday, July 16, at the New Hope Church in Adel from 1 to 7 p.m. Family will be in attendance from 4 to 7 p.m., according to his obituary.
Funeral services for family and friends will be held on Friday, July 17, at 1:30 p.m., followed by a private burial service at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel.
Hovey lived by ‘bravery, integrity, and service’
Hovey, husband to Megan Hovey and father of two, was born in Algona in 1991 and lived in Wyoming for three years before his family moved to Adel in 2001. He graduated from Adel-De Soto-Minburn in 2009.
While in school, Hovey had achievements in football, track, choir, band, mock trial and drama, according to his obituary. He was an Eagle Scout as a member of Adel Troop 152. He met Megan in ninth-grade band, whom he married in 2012.
Hovey graduated from Iowa State University with his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and participated in Air Force ROTC, becoming a pilot in 2015. His career as a bomber pilot began with B-52 qualification training in Louisiana, and then flying, instructing and leading the 69th Bomb Squadron in North Dakota for six years.
“Brad’s life story was woven with threads of bravery, integrity, and service,” according to his obituary. “He lived big and had a profound impact on the people around him.”
Hovey “loved the outdoors and lived in awe of the stars and the sky,” his obituary reads. “He was a protector, defender, and advocate for people.”
Hovey served in three deployments with more than 200 combat flight hours. He was a distinguished B-52 and B-1 Air Force Experimental Test Pilot.
Hovey and his family moved to Edwards, California in 2022, where he attended the United States Air Force Pilot School and was assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron, where he flew B-52 and B-1 test flight missions.
“To him, there was no limit to dreams,” his obituary reads. “Though his life was far too short, Brad filled it with love and courage. Those who knew him will remember not just what he accomplished, but the way he deeply loved his friends, family, and most of all his wife and children.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser was established to help with Hovey’s funeral costs with a goal of $50,000. As of Tuesday morning, more than $47,000 had been raised.
“The only way to be truly happy is to choose to do so,” Hovey is quoted as saying in his obituary. “Every second, minute, and hour of your life.”
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowan killed in B-52 crash lived by ‘bravery, integrity, and service’
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
