Major Philip Ambard, 44, of Edmonds, Wash. was assigned to 460th Space Communication Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. He died April 27, 2011, in Kabul, Afghanistan when an Afghan military pilot opened fire at Kabul International Airport. Eight other Americans were also killed.

Maj Ambard was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to America when he was 12. He began his military career as an enlisted airmen and zoomed through the ranks during a 25-year career, becoming an officer in 2000. He had a Doctorate at the University of Denver and was an Air Force Academy professor of foreign languages.

Maj. Ambard was on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He had volunteered to work as a training advisor for the fledgling Afghan Air Force. He had never been assigned in a danger zone before and wanted to learn firsthand about some of the trials his cadet students would face.

“He worked so many hours, but when he came home, he was home,” his wife, Linda said. “He was a dad, he was a husband, he was a friend.”

Maj Ambard is survived by his wife, Linda, and five children. Three went to the Air Force Academy, one to West Point, and the last was a University of Denver scholar.