Army Staff Sgt. Christopher T. Howick

Died May 5, 2006 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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34, of Hamburg, N.Y.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum N.Y.; died May 5 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was traveling on crashed during combat operations east of Abad, Afghanistan, in the Kunar province. Also killed were: Pfc. Brian M. Moquin Jr., Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., Spc. Justin L. O’Donohoe, Sgt. Jeffery S. Wiekamp, Sgt. John C. Griffith, Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher B. Donaldson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten and Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty.

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Family mourns the loss of their son killed in copter crash

Associated Press

HAMBURG, N.Y. — A flag flew outside the home of Charles and Lola Howick this week as they privately mourned the loss of their son in a helicopter accident in Afghanistan.

The military on Wednesday confirmed that Staff Sgt. Christopher Howick, 34, was among the 10 Fort Drum soldiers killed last Friday when their CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter fell into a ravine during a mountaintop landing.

Howick was a CH-47 flight engineer who had been in Afghanistan for about three months.

His friend, Jake Makey, said he last saw Howick in person last summer when he was home visiting his parents.

“He was a good kid .... a spirited kid,” Makey said.

Makey said Howick’s parents had asked neighbors to respect their privacy and limit comments.

Fort Drum officials said Howick was married and had a daughter.

He joined the Army in 1991, a year after graduating from Hamburg High School in this Buffalo suburb.

“This hurts a lot,” said Paul Bloom, a guidance counselor at the school. “It’s like a punch in the stomach.”

The cause of the crash is under investigation.