Mogadishu survivor felled in Wednesday's Black Hawk crash

MSNBC.com ^ | 01/09/04 | Don Teague

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Aaron Weaver fought to serve in Iraq, battled cancer, then died when Army helicopter went down in Iraq

Above all things, Chief Warrant Officer Aaron Weaver was a survivor. As a 22-year-old sergeant, Weaver was part of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia — where 18 U.S. Army soldiers lost their lives.
The fight was chronicled in the movie “Blackhawk Down.”

In Mogadishu, Weaver's vehicle took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade, but he wasn't injured.

He later spoke in a television documentary about his experience and on seeing one of the Black Hawks crash.

“And you could see a helicopter just lose that thrust when it hit the tail rotor and started spinning around ... and I lost it behind that building,” Weaver said.

Later, Weaver earned his wings as an army aviator in Iraq, piloting a Kiowa Warrior helicopter — battling Iraqi guerrillas while also fighting testicular cancer.

"He was an Army Ranger. Tough mentally and tough physically," said Mike Weaver, Aaron Weaver's father.

[Canadian Outrage]

I think this BRAVE soldier selflessly served his Country!

[Canadian Outrage]

That picture of Kennedy is a PERFECT picture of the wicked left!

[Denver Ditdat]

This picture of Ted provides the perfect visual definition of "gin blossoms".

[Denver Ditdat]

The Navy dentist wanted to pull all mine claiming they’d cause problems. I’m glad that I dismissed them. The teeth came in perfect.

The Navy dentist who looked at my mouth in boot camp told me "Those wisdom teeeth need to come out, son. If not now, then maybe when you're at sea. Better here." He extracted them all, and man was I miserable. Had one day of bedrest, bled out all over my pillow and sheets back in the barracks. Felt like crap, but got up anyway on the advice of my company commander. "If your @$$ stays in that rack another day you're going to get set back in training."

You made the right decision!

[Rummyfan]

Bump for CWO Aaron Weaver.

[elfman2]

That’s’ messed up yanking all those teeth in boot camp. Sounds like the dentist needed to justify his duty status.

[lentulusgracchus]

It seems as if I am asking myself more and more lately, "Where do we find such men?"

I find myself phrasing it, "what have we done lately to deserve such men?"

He belongs in Arlington.

[theDentist]

...For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

-Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"

[NYCop]

Only in Freedom could you find Men like this. God Bless him and his family.

[W5X]

You are absolutely correct. I think it takes the FREE will that FREEDOM provides to invoke the bravery of such men. They know what is worth fighting for. Without the freedoms afforded to us in our nation we would be mindless rats succumbing to the will of a dictator. In the common man we find uncommon valor.

[Fury]

I looked in my copy of Black Hawk Down, and CWO Weaver was only mentioned once in the book. A shame, as I would have like to have read more about him. I do know that he was on either the Frontline or History Channel special concerning the events in 1993 talking about the battle, and I'll watch those again this evening.