| Luis Ribas-Dominicci | |
|---|---|
Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci |
|
| Born | June 24, 1952 Utuado, Puerto Rico |
| Died | April 15, 1986 (aged 33) Gulf of Sidra |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1976–1986 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 48th Tactical Fighter Wing |
| Battles/wars | Operation El Dorado Canyon |
| Awards | Purple Heart Air Force Commendation Medal |
Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci[note 1] (June 24, 1952 – April 15, 1986), was an F-111F pilot in the United States Air Force. He was killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon, the April 15, 1986 U.S. air raid on Libya.
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Ribas-Dominicci was born in the town of Utuado, located in the mountains of Puerto Rico where he received his primary and secondary education. As a child, he had always dreamed of becoming a pilot and after he graduated from high school, he entered the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez where he earned his Bachelor's degree in civil engineering. As a student in the university, he was a member of the campus' ROTC program and upon graduation was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.[1]
Ribas-Dominicci was assigned to Cannon Air Force Base, in New Mexico, where he received advanced training as an General Dynamics F-111 combat pilot. By 1983, Ribas-Dominicci was a Captain and the recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal. In 1985, he completed his master's degree in aeronautical science at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.[1]
On April 14, 1986, in response to acts of terrorism then believed, and now known, to have been sponsored by Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi — in particular, the Berlin discotheque bombing of April 6 — and against the backdrop of heightened tension and clashes between the Libyan and U.S. navies over Libya's disputed territorial water claims in the Gulf of Sidra, the United States launched a surprise attack on key facilities in Tripoli and other parts of Libya. The attack was code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon.[2] With the agreement of the UK government, 24 USAF F-111F fighter-bombers took off from U.S. airbases in England. Attacking in the pre-dawn hours of April 15, their main objectives were 22 airfields, terrorist training camps, and other military installations. Al-Qaddafi was also personally targeted; he escaped harm, but one of his daughters was killed.[2]
Maj. Ribas-Dominicci was one of the pilots who participated in the Libyan air raid as member of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. His F-111F was shot down in action over the disputed Gulf of Sidra off the Libyan coast. Ribas-Dominicci and his weapons systems officer, Capt. Paul Lorence, were the only U.S. casualties of Operation El Dorado Canyon.[1][2]
On December 25, 1988, after years of denying that they had the bodies of the two crew members, Gaddafi offered to release the body of Lorence to his family through Pope John Paul II. The body recovered and thought to be that of Lorence was actually that of Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Domminici, which was identified by dental records and returned in 1989.[3]
The Libyan government has denied that it holds Lorence's remains and the U.S government does not believe that they are hiding anything.[4] Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci's remains are buried in his hometown of Utuado.[5]
Both men's names are engraved in the F-111 "Vark" Memorial Park located in Clovis, New Mexico. Ribas-Dominicci was awarded the Purple Heart and posthumously promoted to the rank of major, effective April 15, 1986.[6]
To honor his memory, the Government of Puerto Rico renamed the Isla Grande Airport in San Juan to Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport.[7] The City of Utuado honored its fallen hero by naming a main avenue as Fernando Ribas-Dominicci Avenue. A monument in his honor, simulating an F-111, has been placed at the entrance of Utuado. Ribas-Dominicci's name is engraved in "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), dedicated to Puerto Rico's fallen soldiers and situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Among Major Ribas-Dominicci's military decorations were the following:
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