Air Force Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher, 24, died after the Osprey V-22 – a tiltrotor military aircraft with a history of deadly incidents – he and seven other crew members were flying in crashed off the coast of Japan. Galliher, a Pittsfield native and Taconic High School graduate, will be flown to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee before being driven back to his hometown. Mayor Linda Tyer says the city has arranged a procession in his honor.
“We've invited the community, anyone who wishes to pay their respects or to show their support to Jacob and his family, to join us somewhere along the route from Lee to Pittsfield and just honor Jacob for his sacrifice and to show love and support to his family,” she told WAMC.
According to his family, Galliher leaves behind his wife Ivy and two sons, aged 2 years and 7 weeks.
More information about the procession is posted on the City of Pittsfield's Facebook page.
