Losing more than a friend

Courtesy of the Bellairs family

Drew Bellairs with his brother, Sam Bellairs, and two sisters, Jenny and Natalie. The photo was on Drew’s funeral program.

Kyle Heim
August 6, 2015

When Senior Airman Drew Bellairs drowned while swimming at Marbo Cave in Guam on July 25, fellow 185th airman Shawn O’Tool lost more than just his friend.

Bellairs and O’Tool have worked together for the past two years. Bellairs was a student at Iowa State, majoring in criminal justice. O’Tool will enter his senior year at Iowa State this fall, majoring in management.

This summer presented Bellairs the first opportunity to work with O’Tool as members of the Maintenance Group, 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard in Sioux City, Iowa.

The two airmen were assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

“He woke me up every single morning, right outside my door when we were in Guam,” O’Tool said. “The last morning there he was just sitting outside my door knocking. He wouldn’t leave me alone, but that’s just who he was. He was always the first to wake up and get the day going.”

Bellairs and O’Tool inspected KC-135 Stratotankers used to refuel airplanes. O’Tool said as soon as the aircraft landed he and Bellairs would inspect it for dents.

When work slowed down, O’Tool said Bellairs would always be the first to volunteer for assignments.

But Bellairs didn’t just want to inspect aircraft, he wanted to fly it.

“He was on his way to get [a pilot’s license]. We had talked about it,” O’Tool said. “One of his friends was going to become one too. They were going to fly together, train together.”

The awards Bellairs earned include the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal.

O’Tool said Bellairs was a tall, soft-spoken kid who would always brighten up a room.

“He had a huge impact on everybody. That’s just the way he was,” O’Tool said. “He always had a smile, never a frown.”

The day before Bellairs drowned he posted on Twitter that he was ready to come home.