Mobile Command Center Technical Specialist Howard Lombard (Lee)

Howard Lee Lombard, 53, died April 4, 2011, at approximately 1:45 pm while working on a DPS Communications trailer and mobile command center at the TXDOT Flight Services hangar at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. He was preparing the communications trailer to support Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team mission "Operation Comanche Moon" as part of the department's border enforcement efforts alongside the US Border Patrol. "Lee played a vital role in many special assignments, including the operation of the department's mobile command center in missions along the border with Mexico," said the Director of DPS, Steven C. McCraw. "According to many who worked with him, he had a can-do, positive attitude that motivated others." Lee Lombard began working for DPS on December 8, 2008, as a Texas Division of Emergency Management special projects coordinator. He served in various positions within TDEM, and on December 29, 2010, he was promoted to Mobile Command Center Technical Specialist with the Law Enforcement Communications Support Division. His wife, Linda Ellis Lombard, was also a DPS employee during Lee's service.