A ballroom by any other name Published Feb. 26, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Alex Echols 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Some heroes may fall, but they are never forgotten. Tyndall officials are dedicating the Horizons Ballroom B to Senior Master Sgt. Sherry Lynn Olds, who was assigned to Tyndall more than half of her 20 years of service. She died in a terrorist bombing in Nairobi, Kenya in 1998. "This room was chosen because it is the primary location for a majority of our formal functions and therefore provides a fitting tribute to Sergeant Olds' service," said Lt. Col. Brad Head, 325th Force Support Squadron commander. This follows the Airey NCO Academy recent renaming of one of their flight rooms. Both groups went through extensive processes to dedicate these rooms to the individuals they are named after. "They can leave a lasting dedication to a member that they think had exemplary service," said Tech. Sgt. Charmi Mclamb, Airey NCO Academy instructor, about the worth of these types of room dedications. The protocol office took the lead in naming Horizons Ballroom B after her. "We didn't want to see Sergeant Olds forgotten," said Ms. Patty Fackler, 325th FW protocol deputy chief. "Unlike an award, having a room named in Sergeant Olds' honor is a more visible and lasting tribute," said Ms. Fackler. "Also, maybe having a ballroom dedicated to her will mean her legacy will not be defined by her death, but by who she was and her pride in being a senior NCO in the Air Force. It would be great if seeing her name at the ballroom door will cause a young Airman to search out information about her." From inception to completion the ball room dedication took over a year, said Ms. Fackler. "Our office followed AFI 36-3108," said Ms. Fackler. "The approval authority for naming a room for a deceased Air Force member is the wing commander. We did the required research, but we received help from many sources along the way, especially the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, 325th FW historians, the 325th Mission Support Group, the great folks at the 325th FSS, and the 325th Civil Engineer Squadron. After the package was assembled for review, there was no difficulty getting agreement from everyone that Sergeant Olds deserved the recognition. "Once everyone signed off on the package, the final decision was made by Col. David Graff, 325th FW commander," she added. The ceremony to name the ballroom will take place during the National Prayer Luncheon March 12.