Air Force Capt. David A. Wisniewski

Died July 2, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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31, of Moville, Iowa; assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; died July 2 of wounds sustained June 9 near Forward Operating Base Jackson, Afghanistan, in an HH-60G Pave Hawk crash. Killed in the crash were Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael P. Flores, Air Force 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, Senior Airman Benjamin D. White and Air Force Staff Sgt. David C. Smith.

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Medevac pilot remembered for lives he saved

By Scott Fontaine

Staff writer

A visit to an Air Force museum as a kindergartner inspired Capt. David A. Wisniewski to join the service. His strong Catholic convictions motivated him to become a helicopter pilot, placing his own life in jeopardy as he rescued injured people in combat zones.

“He didn’t want to drop bombs from 40,000 feet and kill people,” said his father, Chet Wisniewski. “He wanted to save people. That’s what he trained to do, and that’s what he wanted to do.”

David Wisniewski’s HH-60G Pave Hawk crashed in Afghanistan on June 9 — reportedly after a rocket-propelled grenade shot it down as the crew prepared to evacuate wounded British troops. Four airmen on board were killed.

Wisniewski, the aircraft’s pilot, was one of three injured. He died from his wounds July 2 at National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

“He never quite recovered,” Chet Wisniewski said. “We weren’t trying to give anybody false hopes, but it was a massive head injury. He couldn’t overcome it.”

Wisniewski, a 31-year-old Iowa native and 2002 Air Force Academy graduate, served with the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. He was on his seventh deployment, his father said. Wisniewski flew more than 1,500 hours — including 289 combat hours — during his eight-year career, according to a Nellis press release.

His squadron commander, Lt. Col. Thomas Dorl, praised Wisniewski’s response to a mass casualty in Afghanistan that involved shuttling 40 people to safety.

“This was no small feat as he braved enemy action and flew into a hot landing zone three times to save people who [he] did not even know,” Dorl said.

Killed the day of the crash were Lt. Joel C. Gentz, Staff Sgt. David C. Smith, Tech. Sgt. Michael P. Flores and Senior Airman Benjamin D. White.

It was the deadliest day for Air Force personnel at war in more than five years, and the transfer of the four airmen's remains drew the secretary of the Air Force, chief of staff and chief master sergeant of the Air Force to Dover Air Force Base, Del., to pay their respects.

The two airmen injured in the crash, Capt. Anthony Simone and Tech. Sgt. Christopher Aguilera, both of the 66th Rescue Squadron, are recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas.

Chet Wisniewski said his son took his girlfriend on a cruise to Mexico last November and proposed. The two planned to marry Sept. 4 in Las Vegas.

Instead, he will be interred Aug. 23 at Arlington National Cemetery.

During his stay in Bethesda, colleagues from around the world came to visit Wisniewski. It was, his father said, fitting for a man who aimed to improve others’ lives.

“If I were to write an epitaph on his gravestone,” Chet Wisniewski said, “it would be, ‘He truly made a difference in the lives of the people he touched.’ ”