Brian K Van Dusen
Profile
Age: 39
From: Columbus, Ohio
Assigned to 571st Air Medical Company, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brian K. Van Dusen was killed when his UH-60 air medical helicopter crashed in the Tigris River in Iraq.
Died: May 09, 2003
Brian Van Dusen died while performing the kind of mission that was his reason for joining the Army, his brother said.
“He believed in saving lives, not taking them,” David Van Dusen said. Brian Van Dusen was killed May 9 when his Black Hawk air medical helicopter snagged a power wire across the Tigris River as it took off during the rescue of a wounded Iraqi child, and flipped over and into the water. The child was in another helicopter and was flown to safety.
He had been living in Colorado Springs, Colo., with his wife, 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. Brian Van Dusen had been flying military helicopters for 19 years. His brother David said he last spoke to Brian on the day he shipped out from Fort Carson, Colo. The two were making plans for...