Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brent Scott Cole, 38, of Reedsville, WV, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. CW4 Cole was killed in a helicopter crash during his third combat deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on Friday, May 22, 2009.

CW4 Cole joined the Army in 1987 as a military policeman and was selected in 1998 to the Army’s Warrant Officer Flight Program. He excelled as an Army aviator and began flying the AH-64 Longbow Apache helicopter. He had the responsibility of teaching new aviators the much-needed ability and skills to operate the greatest attack helicopter in the world.

CW4 Cole led by example and was revered by his peers and leaders alike. His son remembers him for his humor and love for spending time together. He said “Watching my dad work hard to take care of our family has made an impact on me. He always put us first even when he was not around. He said that I shouldn't do anything that I was not prepared to put my best foot forward. I have lived by that motto.”

CW4 Cole was survived by his wife Vanessa and son Carson.