Brian K. Van Dusen

Died: May 9, 2003

Rank: Chief Warrant Officer Three

Unit: 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance)

Branch: U.S. Army

Chief Warrant Officer Three Brian K. Van Dusen was killed on May 9, 2003, when the UH-60A helicopter he was piloting as aircraft commander collided with a power line over the Tigris River, near Samarra, Iraq. The crew had been dispatched to evacu­ate a wounded Iraqi child and was maneuvering to avoid enemy ground fire when they struck the wires. Van Dusen and the aircraft were assigned to the 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance) based at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was deployed to Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two other crewmembers onboard were also killed. A medic onboard was rescued from the river in critical condition. A mass for the fallen hero was held May 19, 2003, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Secu­rity, Colorado.