Military Branch: Army National Guard; Rank: CW5

Summary:

CW5 David Carter was born in 1964 in Mildenhall, England. At the age of 19 he joined the Kansas Army National Guard with his sights on becoming a pilot. In 1985, Dave met his future wife Laura while attending college in Hays, KS. They married a year later and moved to Ft. Rucker, AL, where Dave attended the Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviation Course, graduating in 1988.

He would continue his aviation career by amassing over 4,500 flight hours (1,000 of those hours during combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan) in aircraft such as the UH-1 Iroquois (Huey), C-12 Huron, C-26, AH-1 Cobra, and CH-47 D and F Model Chinooks. He loved to fly anything and everything and had a special talent of sharing that love of aircraft by mentoring and teaching young pilots to fly.

In 2006 Dave deployed to Iraq where his Chinook Company flew some of the most dangerous missions of OIF during one of the operationally busiest and most violent periods of the conflict. He was KIA on August 6, 2011 when the CH-47 helicopter (call sign Extortion 17) he and his co-pilot were flying was shot down by an RPG in the Tangi Valley during Operation Enduring Freedom. All 31 on board were killed making it the worst single loss of military life since the war in Afghanistan.

Dave was a man of strong faith who would read his bible in the early hours of each day and try to live by what he read. He started a bible study group while deployed to Iraq that many have fond memories of to this day.

Dave was an avid outdoorsman who instilled that same love of the outdoors in his kids. He would look forward to deer and elk hunting season like a kid looks forward to Christmas! Great planning went into what area they would hunt that year. He would make a detailed list of everything needed during their hunts and was thrilled when the time came to implement everything. He was even happy if they came home empty handed because it was the thrill of the chase and the camaraderie of being with his kids and/or friends during those hunts that fulfilled him the most. Dave was a very humble man who would never have known the impact he left on so many people during his lifetime.

Life Achievements/ Recognitions:

Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Legion of Merit Non Article 5 NATO Medal War on Terrorism Afghanistan Campaign

David was a veteran of: U.S. Army Reserve 1983-1988, Kansas Army National Guard 1988-2011, Colorado Army National Guard OIF 2006-2007, OEF 2011 (KIA)