A senior airman with the Springfield-based Illinois Air National Guard 183rd Wing was killed in a two-vehicle accident in D’Iberville, Mississippi, just north of Biloxi on the Gulf Coast late Thursday.
Taylor M. LaBrier, 31, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, was a communications expert with the 183rd Wing. According to a news release, LaBrier was temporarily assigned to the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi and was attending school there.
LaBrier and the driver of another vehicle were both killed in the head-on collision on Interstate 110.
A preliminary investigation from the D’Iberville Police Department indicated a vehicle driven by Moses Dang, 57, of Saucier, Mississippi, entered the southbound off-ramp to the interstate, moving north in the southbound lane, colliding head-on with LaBrier’s vehicle.
LaBrier transferred to the Illinois Air National Guard from the Illinois Army National Guard, which he joined in 2014.
LaBrier was a radio and communications security repairer, primarily with the Springfield-based 3637th Maintenance Company.
LaBrier was with the company when it was deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Spartan Shield in 2017-2018.
“The Illinois National Guard mourns the loss of this dedicated and professional service member,” said Maj. Gen. Richard R. Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “He served honorably in the Army National Guard and continued his service in the Air National Guard. He was a valued member of the 183rd Wing’s Communications Squadron. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”
LaBrier received numerous awards and decorations during his service including three Army Achievement Medals.
LaBrier is survived by his mother, Stephanie LaBrier of Belleville and two sisters, Deanna Roseke of O’Fallon, Ill., and Michaela LaBrier of Shiloh, Ill.
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