Families remember dead NC National Guard fliers

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Families are remembering North Carolina Air National Guard members killed in a plane crash while battling Western wildfires.

The National Guard says the families of Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal and Sgt. Robert "Robbie" Cannon don't want to give interviews but want to describe the men.

The 42-year-old Mikeal is described as a devoted family man to his wife Marlo and their two children. The couple met while they attended UNC Charlotte. Both became commissioned officers in the Air Force, where Mikeal spent 10 years on active duty. He continued flying C-130 tankers for the Air National Guard in Charlotte.

The 50-year-old Cannon is survived by his wife of 22 years and their two teenage children. He joined the Guard shortly after graduating high school.

Two others died in the crash.

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