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Posted on 07/13/2005 11:04:01 PM PDT by ChefKeith
Apache pilot was 'loving husband'
By Emily Baker
Killeen Daily Herald
Christopher Chabot Martin was a soldier at heart, said a close family friend.
“That’s all the boy was,” said Christy Greenville, a surrogate sister-in-law. “He was our little Army man.”
Martin, 31, was killed Monday evening when the AH-64D Apache Longbow he piloted crashed during a training exercise at Fort Hood. Martin, a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, was promoted posthumously to chief warrant officer 2.
The helicopter’s other crew member was treated at Darnall Army Community Hospital and released Monday evening. His identity will not be released due to privacy restrictions, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, the division’s public affairs officer.
Martin is survived by his wife of about five years, Amanda.
“He was a loving husband,” Greenville said. “He was very family oriented and very involved with his wife’s family.
“He was very dedicated to being a soldier,” she continued. “He had a great, great sense of humor.”
Martin, born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., joined the Army soon after he graduated from Grapevine High School in 1993. He came to Fort Hood and the 4th Infantry in January, according to a statement released by the division public affairs office.
He was fondly remembered by the division Wednesday.
“Martin was a brave 4th Infantry Division soldier who died while training and preparing to do whatever the president calls us to do,” Col. Donald MacWillie, commander of the division’s aviation brigade, said in the statement. “He was an energetic and a very focused warrior, and he’ll be greatly missed by the entire ... team.”
The division’s aircraft were back in the air Wednesday morning following a 24-hour grounding ordered by MacWillie. Safety procedures were reviewed during that time.
The cause of the crash will not be known until an investigation is complete. The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., has taken over the investigation from III Corps, according to the statement.
A division memorial will be held Friday at Fort Hood. Details are pending.
The battalion also has planned a service today for its troops who are at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Greenville said the family plans to bury Martin at the National Memorial Cemetery in Dallas early next week.
Contact Emily Baker at ebaker@kdhnews.com
Prayers to the Family and All our Warriors where ever they may be.
FYI
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As I used to tell my Marines, by the very nature of what we do and the equipment and weapons we operate, being in the armed forces is a dangerous job even when nobody is trying to kill you. A death during pre-deployment training is a perfect example of this. To be useful, the training must be as realistic as can possibly be permitted. But realistic training is also inherently dangerous training because it will (and should) push the performance limits of man and machine. Although it will be small comfort to his family and comrades in arms, the accident investigation will determine what went wrong so corrections can be made.
God bless him for the full measure of his service to our country. The Lord send his family and friends comfort and healing during this time of pain and loss.
The risk and sacrifice are no less diminished be it in training or peace time.
How true.
Thank You for Your Service.
I'll keep an eye open for updates here locally.
Thank You
BTTT
...with humility, and gratitude.
Absolutely correct.
Military capability arises from a combination of doctrine, personnel, equipment and training. Omit any of the four and you only have a presence, not a capability. 4th ID is the supremely capable military force that it is because it is a properly equipped and staffed organization that has been thoroughly trained in accordance with well thought out doctrine. As I noted in my earlier post, that thorough training involves accepting certain amounts of risk if it is to be realistic.
The old axiom is: "The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war."
Thanks for your kind words.
P.S: Does PRACTICE eating involve PRACTICE food that perhaps only have PRACTICE calories? To quote Homer Simpson: "Ummmm...donuts!"
RIP, Soldier!
What I deduce from the article:
CW2 Martin was an example of the best kind of soldier and had probably been an Enlisted Man for close to ten years before entering flight school. He probably gave up the rank of SGT or SSG to be "Above The Best."
It's a dangerous business, indeed, but God bless these men for doing it.
Here's hoping what will be learned from this may save the lives of others.
Lord bless this young patriot.
Special prayer bump!!!!
Oh no !
Me always train with LIVE ammunition !
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