Army Staff Sgt. Joshua D. Powell

Died September 21, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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25, of Pleasant Plains, Ill.; assigned to the 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Sept. 21 in Qalat, Afghanistan, in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash during combat operations. Also killed in the crash were: Army Lt. Col. Robert F. Baldwin, Army Sgt. Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., Lt. (SEAL) Brendan J. Looney, Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) David B. McLendon, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonah D. McClellan, Navy Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class (SEAL) Denis C. Miranda, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Adam O. Smith, and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew G. Wagstaff.

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One of deadliest days in war for 101st Airborne

By Jake Lowary

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle

With the deaths of five soldiers in a helicopter crash, Sept. 21 was one of the deadliest days for the 101st Airborne Division since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began.

The crash, announced by International Security Assistance Force officials, killed nine NATO service members and injured two civilians. Five of the soldiers were assigned to 101st Airborne Division’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. The other casualties were U.S. sailors.

The crash is the worst in Afghanistan in four years, according to The Associated Press. Tuesday’s crash was the deadliest since May 2006, when a Chinook helicopter went down while attempting a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers.

Fort Campbell spokesman Rick Rzepka said the crash happened in Qalat, Afghanistan, which is in the southeast corner about 50 miles northeast of Kandahar, and is still under investigation.

The cause of the crash was not known. ISAF officials have said there was no enemy fire reported in the area at the time of the crash, but the Taliban has claimed it shot down the helicopter. The Taliban often exaggerate their claims and sometimes take credit for accidents.

According to a news release from Fort Campbell, killed were:

* Lt. Col. Robert Francis Baldwin, 37, of New Boston, Ill. Baldwin entered the Army in February 1994 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007. Baldwin was an Aviation Liaison Officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company.

Baldwin is survived by his wife, Danielle M. Baldwin; daughters Rachel and Meaghan Baldwin; and sons Keegan and Patrick Baldwin, all of Clarksville. He is also survived by parents Gary and Cheryl Baldwin of New Boston, Ill.

* Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Gabriel Wagstaff, 34, of Orem, Utah. Wagstaff entered the Army in January 2002 and arrived at Fort Campbell in May 2007. Wagstaff was a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to Bravo Company, 5th Battalion.

Wagstaff is survived by his wife, Tiffany A. Wagstaff of Clarksville; and parents Ronald and Suzanne Wagstaff of Orem, Utah.

* Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonah David McClellan, 26, of Minnesota. McClellan entered the Army in August 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September 2006. McClellan was a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to Bravo Company, 5th Battalion.

McClellan is survived by his wife, Nina S. McClellan; sons Ayden and Renn McClellan; daughter Ayla M. McClellan; and parents Rodney and Susan McClellan, all of Battle Ground, Wash.

* Staff Sgt. Joshua David Powell, 25, of New Berlin, Ill. Powell entered the Army in November 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2005. Powell was a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 6th Battalion.

Powell is survived by his father, David A. Powell of Springfield, Ill., and his mother, Susan B. Needham of Pleasant Plains, Ill.

* Sgt. Marvin Ray Calhoun Jr., 23, of Osceola, Ind. Calhoun entered the Army in June 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in December 2007. Calhoun was a construction equipment repairer serving as a door gunner and was assigned to Bravo Company, 5th Battalion.

Calhoun is survived by his wife, Yamili Sanchez, and daughter, Yohani Sanchez of Fort Hood, Texas, and parents, Marvin Calhoun Sr. and Susan Needham of Elkhart, Ind.

The 101st CAB deployed in March to support NATO forces in southern Afghanistan. Its roughly 3,000 soldiers make up the 20,000-plus soldiers from Fort Campbell that are currently deployed.

Including the crash, 11 soldiers from Fort Campbell died in the first three weeks of September.

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Funeral scheduled for helo crash victim

The Associated Press

PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — A funeral service is planned for a central Illinois soldier killed in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Josh Powell, 25, will be buried with military honors on Sept. 28.

Powell was a Pleasant Plains High School graduate, and was among nine service members who died Sept. 21 in a helicopter crash during combat operations in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

Powell was assigned to the Army's 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, out of Fort Campbell, Ky.

He will be buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery.

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Powell was an avid hunter

The Associated Press

Joshua Powell was the type of guy who'd talk to anybody, nearly anytime, but didn't need to be the star of the show, according to former classmates.

"He definitely wasn't the publicity type," high school friend Jamie Kleimenhagen told the State Journal-Register in Illinois. "Taking care of his own people — that was a huge priority to him."

Powell, 25, of Pleasant Plains, Ill., died in a helicopter crash Sept. 21 during combat operations in Zabul province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and previously served in Afghanistan and in Iraq, where he was a helicopter crew chief in a medical evacuation unit, the newspaper reported.

He joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 2003, the same year he graduated from Pleasant Plains High School, where he played varsity soccer for four years.

"You could go to him in a time of joy and he would be there for you," former teammate Bobby Johnson told the Journal-Register. "You could go to him in a time of sorrow and he would be there. He would talk to you in any situation."

Powell, an avid hunter, also liked to collect guns and was a motorcyclist.