James W. Ponder III
Profile
Age: 36
From: Franklin, Tenn.
Assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Army Master Sgt. James W. Ponder III was killed June 28 when an MH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed while ferrying personnel to a battle against militants in eastern Afghanistan.
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Died: June 28, 2005
Soldier killed in helicopter crash eulogized
By Ryan Lenz
Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — About 500 special operations soldiers attended a memorial service for a fallen comrade who was among 16 killed in Afghanistan last week when a U.S. helicopter was shot down in the mountains during a rescue mission.
Master Sgt. James “Trey” Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tenn., was with seven other soldiers from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and eight Navy SEALs when an MH-47 Chinook helicopter was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade. All were killed in the crash, which marked a resurgence of violence in Afghanistan.
The ceremony at the Cole Park Commons, a formal reception hall on post, drew mostly fellow soldiers dressed in a mix of camouflage greens and dress uniforms.
Ponder was remembered by members of his unit as a no-nonsense soldier and a Christian who was devoted to his country.
“Trey...
Occupation
Incident
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