AURORA, Colo.—A Colorado National Guardsman who is believed to be among 38 people killed in a U.S. helicopter crash in Afghanistan was remembered Tuesday as an accomplished pilot, an expert flight instructor and a reliable comrade and friend.
David R. Carter, 47, of the Denver suburb of Aurora was one of two pilots flying the Chinook CH-47D on Saturday when it was apparently shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by an insurgent.
The dead included 30 U.S. troops and eight Afghans. The Pentagon opened an investigation Tuesday.
Yolanda Levesque, a neighbor speaking for the pilot’s family, called Carter an outstanding father, “a true Christian” and a patriot.
“He was our American hero,” Levesque said, struggling to keep her composure while reading from a statement at a news conference.
She said the family is grieving but is grateful for the support of the community and the National Guard.
Carter is survived by his wife, Laura, and two children, Kyle and Kaitlen.
Carter was a chief warrant officer 4, a full-time Army National Guardsman and an instructor pilot. He was a skilled aviator with more than 700 hours of combat flying time, said Army Guard Col. Chris Petty, commander of the Army Guard’s aviation facility at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora.
“Nobody felt any timidity getting in the back of his aircraft,” Petty said.
Carter had a passion for training young aviators, Petty said, and leaves behind “much more than dozens” of new pilots he taught.
“There’s a big hole in our organization today,” Petty said.
Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, adjutant general of Colorado, said Carter was “somebody you could count on.”
“Every time you needed a launch, a helicopter for a state mission, Dave Carter was there,” Edwards said.
Carter’s unit was called up in May but spent several weeks training in the U.S. before going to Afghanistan, officials said. Petty said Carter had been in Afghanistan for 10 days to two weeks before the crash.
Carter’s sister-in-law, Marie Krizanovic of Fort Collins, described him as a “gentle-souled person.”
“Happy-go-lucky, gentle-natured. He had a very strong spiritual faith. He loved flying,” Krizanovic said Monday night.
David and Laura Carter were set to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in December, Krizanovic said.
A college fund has been established at 1st Bank in Carter’s memory for his two children, the Colorado National Guard said.
Remains of the fallen service members arrived Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where President Barack Obama met with their families.
Memorial service plans were pending.
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Associated Press writer Catherine Tsai contributed to this report.
