MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Air University leadership, faculty and students joined together in Wood Auditorium for a memorial service honoring Zambian air force Maj. Bweendo “Lloyd” Malawo, who died March 2.
The Air Command and Staff College student was found in Millbrook, Alabama, the morning of March 2, the victim of an apparent hit and run.
“Thank you for being here today to honor Maj. Bweendo “Lloyd” Malawo,” said Col. Evan Pettus, ACSC Commandant. “He was a superb officer, gifted aviator, and keen student of the profession of arms.”
Malawo left behind a wife and two children in Zambia, along with other friends and family. He enlisted in the Zambian air force in 2003, and was commissioned a lieutenant in 2007. A fighter pilot, he often engaged his friends in discussions on the future of close air support.
Zambian air force Brig. Gen. Jabes Zulu, Zambian defense attaché, spoke of Malawo as a generous and hard-working officer, who was a skilled pilot engaged in flight courses in Zambia and abroad.
“We have a cadre of highly talented, incredibly capable true tributes to their nations – even among that elite group, Lloyd stood out,” Pettus said. “His positive outlook and warm personality brightened the halls of this building and made it fun to come to work.”
During the service, several classmates and fellow international officers stood and spoke about the bonds of brotherhood they’d formed with Malawo.
“Smart, intelligent, witty, calm, composed and always with a mischievous smile – my vocabulary is not rich enough to describe my friend,” said Squadron Leader Nandagopan Pallipattu, ACSC student from India. “Lloyd, my friend, the memories that you have given us in this short period of time are going to keep you alive in our hearts forever.”
Pettus ended the service by conducting a roll call of Flight 2, with the silence after he called Malawo’s name three times reminding everyone of the brother that left too soon.