Council approves airport memorial honoring Captain John J. Sachs and four Marines

The Lincoln City Council approved a resolution authorizing a memorial at the Lincoln Airport to honor Captain John J. Sachs and four Marines who died in a 2022 Osprey training accident.

City staff told the council Captain Sachs was closely connected to the Lincoln Airport, taught people to fly there and was well known in the local aviation community. The project design, provided pro bono by architect Jeff Demer, calls for a 12-by-14 stamped concrete pad, a memorial podium with a brass plaque describing Sachs’s service and sacrifice, the Purple Foxes squadron logo and a granite bench inscribed with the names of the crew members. Staff estimated the total project cost at approximately $45,000 and recommended allocating a not‑to‑exceed amount from the council’s allowance for one-time projects; the Lincoln Public Safety Foundation has offered preliminary fundraising support.

Architect Jeff Demer described visiting the site with Amber Sachs (Captain Sachs’s wife), selecting a location north of the gazebo to create a visual axis with an existing memorial and working with a monument company and concrete subcontractor to finalize plaque language. The architect said he and committee volunteers worked to ensure the memorial would properly honor the pilot and his teammates.

Councilmembers praised the proposal as an appropriate public memorial and asked practical questions about accent lighting and a nearby flagpole; the architect and staff said lighting could be added and that a flagpole location would be investigated. A motion to adopt the resolution was moved and seconded and roll-call votes recorded yes from councilmembers present; the resolution carried.

Staff said the city will invite the community and council to a dedication ceremony when the project is complete.