Air Force Master Sgt. David L. Poirier

Died February 28, 2014 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

52, of North Smithfield, R.I.; assigned to the 157th Operations Support Squadron, Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.; died Feb. 28 in a non-combat related incident at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

Guardsman laid to rest in New Hampshire

Staff report

A funeral service was held March 10 at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery for Master Sgt. David Poirier, who died Feb. 28, one day after his arrival at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

While the official cause of death remains under investigation, it appears to be health-related, said Lt. Col. Greg Heilshorn, public affairs officer for the New Hampshire Air National Guard. There is no suspicion of foul play, he said.

Poirier, 52, of Salem, N.H., was an aircrew life support journeyman for the 157th Operations Support Squadron at Pease Air National Guard Base.

He served a four-year active-duty enlistment beginning in 1979, later joined the Rhode Island Air National Guard and in 1995 transferred to the New Hampshire Air National Guard.

He was a veteran of multiple overseas deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam and Qatar, as well as four state activations. He also volunteered on several State Partnership Exchanges with El Salvador.

“He was an incredible role model for junior NCOs,” said Tech. Sgt. John Bober, a crew chief with the 157th Maintenance Group who deployed with Poirier last year in support of a Pacific Command mission.