Godspeed Kyle Jackson and Mitch Carver

Posted By Blackfive

Provided below is a message from CW4 James V. Torney, who escorted the remains of CW2 Kyle E. Jackson home from Iraq.  CW2 Jackson and CW3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr., were killed in action near Al Sukar, Iraq, on Jan. 13, when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.:

I was escorting our brother Kyle home the other day. A duty I don't ever want to do again but will not refuse.

Besides all of the attention you get walking around in your A's, I was thanked for my service from civilians, prior service, and active duty personnel in the various airports, some with a passing thank you, some stopped me to shake my hand.  This I want to extend and share with all of you.

Delta Airlines was very accommodating.  They put me in first class and moved me to the very first seat in each plane.  A woman gave me her aisle seat so that I could leave without having to climb over her when the flight was over.  After conversing with this woman for a while, I found out her husband was an F4E pilot during the Vietnam era.  I was invited to dinner with them when I was finished with my duty.  The restaurant manager paid for my rather pricey meal much to the dismay of my new friends who planned to pay for it themselves.  I was then invited to stay at their home as long as I was going to be in Florida.

Back to Delta Airlines and the real reason of this post.  Prior to backing out of the terminal in Philadelphia the pilot came over the intercom.  With a choked up voice he thanked the military for their service and explained that we were carrying the remains of a soldier who gave his life for his country and then asked for a moment of silence.  We sat in silence for a few minutes and then backed out for Atlanta.  Upon reaching Atlanta, I was met on the tarmac by a man who walked me around the front of the plane where there were more men standing in a row with every branch flag and the US flag.  These men had assembled their own honor guard complete with a retired Army chaplain.  There was someone from each branch holding a flag.  They pulled the crate out of the plane and stopped it on the belt giving the chaplain time to say a prayer. They started the belt and came to attention rendering honors as it passed.  They thanked me and sent me with a card they made on the computer and signed with their deepest regrets to the family and shuttled us to the next terminal.  They had their reflective vests embroidered with Honor Guard and a US flag across the back.  They also told me that they have a dark blue trolley that they use for this but it was missing (we found out it was sent to pick up Mitch at another terminal). They had explained that this was the least they could do to give back to those who had given their lives for them.  This was the third toughest thing on my trip (seeing how much some really do care).  The second: inspecting Kyle's uniform for the last time. And the hardest thing: seeing his family.

I wanted to share this experience with all of you because none of this was done for me.

It was done for all of us.

It was something nice out of something so terrible.

Thank You Kyle.

Thank You Mitch.

Here's more about the Kyle and Mitch from Ft. Drum:

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr. 

    Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr., 31, was an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter pilot assigned to the 10^th Mountain Division’s 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

    A native of Leicester, N.C., Carver entered the Army in March 1995 and trained at Fort Rucker, Ala., to pilot Army helicopters.

    He was assigned to Fort Drum in July 2005. Before attending aviation courses at Fort Rucker, Ala., from October 2003 to July 2005, Carver was assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division from October 2001. He also served with the 3^rd Infantry Division’s 3^rd Battalion, 7 Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wright Army Airfield, Ga. From May 1998 to October 2000, Carver served with the 3^rd Infantry Division.

    Carver served in Iraq from January to August 2003, in Bosnia from August 2000 to September 2001 and in South Korea from April 1997 to April 1998.

    Carver’s military education includes the OH-58D Instructor Pilot course, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Maintenance Test Pilot Course, Army Maintenance Manager’s Course, OH-58D Aviator Qualification Course, Warrant Officer Entry Course and the Warrant Officer Orientation Course.

    His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with V device, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Senior Army Aviator Badge.

    Carver was also rated to fly the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter.

    He is survived by his parents Kyle and Judy Carver, and his girlfriend Victoria Saunders.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle E. Jackson

     Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle E. Jackson, 28, was an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior pilot assigned to the 10^th Mountain Division’s 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

    A native of Sarasota, Fla., Jackson entered the Army in March 2003 and trained at Fort Rucker, Ala., to be an OH-58D pilot.

    Jackson previously served as an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps from January 1999 to March 2003. While assigned to the Marine Corps, Jackson was a security guard at Naval Submarine Base Bangor in Bangor, Wash. He was further assigned with the Marine Corps’ 2^nd Battalion, 8^th Marine Regiment, 2^nd Marine Division at Camp Lajune, N.C.

    Following aviator training at Fort Rucker, Jackson was assigned to Fort Drum in September 2004 where he served with the 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment.

    Jackson’s military education includes OH-58D Aviation Qualification Course, Aviation Warrant Officer Basic Course, Rotary Wing Aviator Course and the Warrant Officer Orientation Course.

        His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Navy Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Army Aviator Badge.

    Jackson is survived by his wife, Betsy, and two children.

---

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Godspeed Kyle Jackson and Mitch Carver

Provided below is a message from CW4 James V. Torney, who escorted the remains of CW2 Kyle E. Jackson home from Iraq.  CW2 Jackson and CW3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr., were killed in action near Al Sukar, Iraq, on Jan. 13, when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.:

I was escorting our brother Kyle home the other day. A duty I don't ever want to do again but will not refuse.

Besides all of the attention you get walking around in your A's, I was thanked for my service from civilians, prior service, and active duty personnel in the various airports, some with a passing thank you, some stopped me to shake my hand.  This I want to extend and share with all of you.

Delta Airlines was very accommodating.  They put me in first class and moved me to the very first seat in each plane.  A woman gave me her aisle seat so that I could leave without having to climb over her when the flight was over.  After conversing with this woman for a while, I found out her husband was an F4E pilot during the Vietnam era.  I was invited to dinner with them when I was finished with my duty.  The restaurant manager paid for my rather pricey meal much to the dismay of my new friends who planned to pay for it themselves.  I was then invited to stay at their home as long as I was going to be in Florida.

Back to Delta Airlines and the real reason of this post.  Prior to backing out of the terminal in Philadelphia the pilot came over the intercom.  With a choked up voice he thanked the military for their service and explained that we were carrying the remains of a soldier who gave his life for his country and then asked for a moment of silence.  We sat in silence for a few minutes and then backed out for Atlanta.  Upon reaching Atlanta, I was met on the tarmac by a man who walked me around the front of the plane where there were more men standing in a row with every branch flag and the US flag.  These men had assembled their own honor guard complete with a retired Army chaplain.  There was someone from each branch holding a flag.  They pulled the crate out of the plane and stopped it on the belt giving the chaplain time to say a prayer. They started the belt and came to attention rendering honors as it passed.  They thanked me and sent me with a card they made on the computer and signed with their deepest regrets to the family and shuttled us to the next terminal.  They had their reflective vests embroidered with Honor Guard and a US flag across the back.  They also told me that they have a dark blue trolley that they use for this but it was missing (we found out it was sent to pick up Mitch at another terminal). They had explained that this was the least they could do to give back to those who had given their lives for them.  This was the third toughest thing on my trip (seeing how much some really do care).  The second: inspecting Kyle's uniform for the last time. And the hardest thing: seeing his family.

I wanted to share this experience with all of you because none of this was done for me.

It was done for all of us.

It was something nice out of something so terrible.

Thank You Kyle.

Thank You Mitch.

Here's more about the Kyle and Mitch from Ft. Drum:

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr. 

    Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr., 31, was an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter pilot assigned to the 10^th Mountain Division’s 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

    A native of Leicester, N.C., Carver entered the Army in March 1995 and trained at Fort Rucker, Ala., to pilot Army helicopters.

    He was assigned to Fort Drum in July 2005. Before attending aviation courses at Fort Rucker, Ala., from October 2003 to July 2005, Carver was assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division from October 2001. He also served with the 3^rd Infantry Division’s 3^rd Battalion, 7 Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wright Army Airfield, Ga. From May 1998 to October 2000, Carver served with the 3^rd Infantry Division.

    Carver served in Iraq from January to August 2003, in Bosnia from August 2000 to September 2001 and in South Korea from April 1997 to April 1998.

    Carver’s military education includes the OH-58D Instructor Pilot course, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Maintenance Test Pilot Course, Army Maintenance Manager’s Course, OH-58D Aviator Qualification Course, Warrant Officer Entry Course and the Warrant Officer Orientation Course.

    His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with V device, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Senior Army Aviator Badge.

    Carver was also rated to fly the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter.

    He is survived by his parents Kyle and Judy Carver, and his girlfriend Victoria Saunders.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle E. Jackson

     Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle E. Jackson, 28, was an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior pilot assigned to the 10^th Mountain Division’s 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

    A native of Sarasota, Fla., Jackson entered the Army in March 2003 and trained at Fort Rucker, Ala., to be an OH-58D pilot.

    Jackson previously served as an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps from January 1999 to March 2003. While assigned to the Marine Corps, Jackson was a security guard at Naval Submarine Base Bangor in Bangor, Wash. He was further assigned with the Marine Corps’ 2^nd Battalion, 8^th Marine Regiment, 2^nd Marine Division at Camp Lajune, N.C.

    Following aviator training at Fort Rucker, Jackson was assigned to Fort Drum in September 2004 where he served with the 1^st Battalion, 10^th Aviation Regiment.

    Jackson’s military education includes OH-58D Aviation Qualification Course, Aviation Warrant Officer Basic Course, Rotary Wing Aviator Course and the Warrant Officer Orientation Course.

        His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Navy Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Army Aviator Badge.

    Jackson is survived by his wife, Betsy, and two children.

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