Air Force 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz

Died June 9, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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25, of Grass Lake, Mich.; assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; died June 9, near FOB Jackson, Afghanistan, in a HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crash. Also killed were Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael P. Flores, Air Force Staff Sgt. David C. Smith and Air Force Senior Airman Benjamin D. White. Capt. David A. Wisniewski died July 2 at National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., due to injuries suffered in the crash.

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Schwartz mourns airmen killed in medevac crash

By Scott Fontaine

Staff writer

The Pentagon has named the four rescue airmen who were killed June 9 when insurgents shot down their HH-60G Pave Hawk in southern Afghanistan.

Three airmen also were injured in the Pave Hawk incident, which occurred on the deadliest day for Air Force personnel at war in more than five years.

The four killed are:

* 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Mich.

* Staff Sgt. David C. Smith, 26, of Eight Mile, Ala.

* Tech. Sgt. Michael P. Flores, 31, of San Antonio.

* Senior Airman Benjamin D. White, 24, of Erwin, Tenn.

Flores and White were assigned to the 48th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Gentz was assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Smith was assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis.

The wounded airmen are members of the 66th Rescue Squadron. They are being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

The helicopter crashed as the airmen, assigned to 563rd Rescue Group, were performing a medical-evacuation mission in turbulent Helmand province.

“Our Air Force was deeply saddened by the loss of four of our own,” Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in a statement. “Faithful to the rescue motto ‘That others may live,’ these airmen were courageously and selflessly flying in support of their joint and coalition teammates. We grieve for our warriors and our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the airmen still recovering.”

Col. Gary Henderson, the 23rd Wing commander said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to the families of these brave Americans, and we express our deepest condolences to them. All seven airmen involved in this incident embody the rescue motto, ‘These things we do, that others may live,’ and were on a life-saving mission.

“These airmen and their other rescue teammates are highly trained to perform life-saving missions in various situations. Protecting our nation’s sons and daughters is a sacred trust and we take that responsibility seriously.”

The last time four or more airmen died in a single day was May 30, 2005, when a prop plane crashed in Diyala province, Iraq. A fifth passenger, Iraqi Air Force Capt. Ali Abass, also died in that crash.

It was the bloodiest day in Afghanistan for the Air Force since Nov. 23, 2003, when four airmen were killed in a helicopter crash in Parwan province, according to icasualties.org, a website that tracks coalition deaths overseas.

The helicopter was providing support to British troops at the time of the attack, according to The New York Times. The newspaper, quoting a Taliban spokesman, said insurgents shot down the helicopter over the Sangin district bazaar with a rocket-propelled grenade.

“It’s a big deal every time we lose someone,” Brig. Gen. Frderick B. Hodges, one of the top American commanders in southern Afghanistan, told The Washington Post. “But this is more of a jolt. The medevac crews are some of the bravest people in the world. Just by the nature of what they do, they’re always moving into danger.”

Flores, a 32-year-old pararescueman, had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and deployed eight times during his 12 years in the service. White, a 24-year-old pararescueman, had served in the Air Force since July 2006 and was on his first deployment.

Gentz, 25, a combat rescue officer, studied aerospace engineering at Purdue University and enrolled in ROTC because he wanted to be a pilot and perform combat recue, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Smith, 26, was a flight engineer who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during his nine-year career.

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Medevac crash victims returned home

By Scott Fontaine

Staff writer

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — The transfer team’s steps were meticulously synchronized. Their white gloves were spotless. The flag wrapped around each case was tight, each with an identical number of stars and stripes showing.

They said little — just a few orders, barely audible over the clanging rotors of the Boeing 747. The Air Force chief of staff held a sharp salute as they walked by. The service secretary held his hand over his heart.

Four of their colleagues were killed two days earlier, when insurgents shot down their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter during a medical-evacuation mission in southern Afghanistan. And on June 11, the fallen returned to the U.S.; their remains were met here with full honors.

The Air Force transfer team first carried the flag-draped case containing the remains of Lt. Joel C. Gentz, a combat rescue officer who enrolled in ROTC because he wanted to be a pilot and fly rescue missions, from a hydraulic lift to a waiting cargo van.

Next came the body of Tech. Sgt. Michael P. Flores, a pararescueman who had previously been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and had served overseas eight times in 12 years.

And then Staff Sgt. David C. Smith, a flight engineer who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan during his nine-year Air Force career.

And, lastly, Senior Airman Benjamin D. White, a pararescueman on his first deployment.

Their helicopter crashed in Helmand province, leaving three other airmen injured and leading to the Air Force’s deadliest day at war in more than five years. The remains of Lance Cpl. Michael G. Plank, a Marine killed in Helmand province on June 9, also made the trip from Germany.

Fellow pararescuemen escorted the remains from Germany and snapped a salute as the cases were moved from the plane to a hydraulic lift. The lift was lowered, and the transfer teams solemnly walked each case to one of two waiting cargo vans. Family members stood near the tail of the jet and watched.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Secretary Michael Donley didn’t provide a statement or take questions from the handful of reporters here — standard procedure for the event, known to the Air Force as a dignified transfer. And a port mortuary spokeswoman wasn’t sure the last time such an event drew the service’s top uniformed and civilian officials.

But the Air Force hadn’t lost four or more airmen since May 30, 2005, when a prop plane crashed in Diyala province, Iraq. The incident killed four American airmen and an Iraqi officer.

The Pave Hawk carrying the pararescuemen crashed in the Sangin district of Helmand as it was providing support for British troops. A Taliban spokesman told the New York Times that insurgents shot it down with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Flores and White were assigned to the 48th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Gentz was assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Smith was assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis.

The wounded airmen are members of the 66th Rescue Squadron. They are being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

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Date set for Gentz funeral services

The Associated Press

CHELSEA, Mich. — Family and mourners are expected for funeral services for an Air Force officer killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Services for 1st Lt. Joel Gentz of Grass Lake are scheduled for June 24 at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Chelsea. Burial is at Oak Grove East Cemetery.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered U.S. flags flown at half staff June 24 to honor Gentz.

Three other airmen died in the June 9 crash after two Taliban rockets struck the aircraft.

Gentz ran cross country at Chelsea High School, where he graduated in 2002. He received a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

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Teacher recalls airman’s appetite for life

The Associated Press

CHELSEA, Mich. — Family, friends and fellow airmen filled church pews June 24 for the funeral of a 25-year-old officer killed when Taliban rockets downed his helicopter in Afghanistan.

Services for 1st Lt. Joel Gentz of Grass Lake were held at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Chelsea, where many shared stories from his youth on through to his military career. He served as a combat rescue officer.

Three other airmen died in the June 9 crash.

Gentz was a 2002 graduate of Chelsea High School, where he ran cross country. He got a bachelor’s degree in 2007 from Purdue University in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

Eric Swager, Gentz’s high school physics teacher and cross country coach, challenged mourners to live like Gentz lived.

“Put down the remote, get up early, go outside and improve the world around you,” Swager said.

First Lt. Phil Wagenbach, a friend from Purdue, recalled runs the two took together. The pair ran the morning of Wagenbach’s wedding, and, a year later, before Gentz married his wife, Kathryn.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without Joel,” Wagenbach said. “I’m definitely a better person for knowing you. ... I’m going to miss you, buddy.”

Six airmen escorted Gentz’s casket outside, passing flag-holding veterans and the Washtenaw County Honor Guard, according to the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm ordered U.S. flags lowered to honor Gentz.