Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rex C. Kenyon

Died January 16, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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34, of El Segundo, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Jan. 16 when his AH64D Apache helicoptor was shot down while he was conducting an aerial patrol in Baghdad. Also killed was Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ruel M. Garcia.

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Slain El Segundo soldier lived to fly

Associated Press

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Rex “Chris” Kenyon lived to fly.

He remained in his theater seat for a second showing of the movie “Top Gun” and took his first helicopter flight when he was still a student at El Segundo High School.

As an Army chief warrant officer, he was amazed that he got paid to fly helicopters.

“He used to say, ‘Where else can you work where they give you a $30 million helicopter, all the gas you wanted and all you have to do is fly around?” said his father, Rex Kenyon.

The younger Kenyon, 34, was killed Jan. 16 along with another pilot when their Apache helicopter was shot down during an aerial patrol north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

During a conversation with his father the night before he died, Kenyon talked about the positive difference he thought he was making in Iraq.

“One of the things he told us was that when he was flying, you could see the kids walking to school and playing soccer and people getting their lives back together,” his father said.

Flags in the state capitol will fly at half staff in Kenyon’s honor.

“His heroic service and selfless sacrifice for his country will not be forgotten,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Kenyon is survived by his parents, his wife and a 5-year-old daughter. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday.